The Prophecies Begin Rewrite I
by AGamer
Summary: The Prophecies Begin, but my version. If I were given the pen, how different would things be? Covers the timelines of Into the Wild & Fire and Ice. Art made by PunkBunnii on Twitter.
1. Prologue

"Come on, Rusty!" Smudge yowled, running across the grass.

Rusty stopped. "I can't go any longer!" he heaved. He took deep breaths.

Smudge stopped and looked back, his copper eyes wide. His round face was contorted with disappointment. "Seems like _I_ won the race," he commented, also breathing heavily.

"Shut up," Rusty mewed teasingly, smiling.

Both toms were silent for a long time, getting their breath back. They flopped on the grass together, their backs touching as they faced opposite ways. Soon you couldn't even hear their breathing. They just lay in complete and utter silence.

"I can't believe you're running away," Rusty murmured, his lazy smile disappearing to leave room for a frown.

"I don't _want_ to be a house cat anymore, Rusty," Smudge told his good friend stubbornly. "Why do you think I've been making you race me? Why do you think I've been trying to hunt? I'm gonna be a wild cat."

"Where will you go?" Rusty asked quietly. "You'll be alone."

"You could come with me and help me find out," Smudge offered. He grunted as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"You're not serious," the other cat murmured. He sat up as well, wide-eyed. Dark green eyes linked with copper.

"What do you say, Rusty?" the mottled black-and-white cat asked, growing excited. He hopped to his feet, pacing. "Think about it! We could travel together, learning to hunt mice and fight big dogs. We could do everything we can't here!" He stopped and looked back. "We could be free."

"What gave you this idea?" Rusty questioned him, beginning to groom his ginger tabby fur. He was growing stressed and confused, and he needed something rhythmic to calm him. "About being free and leaving? We're happy here. We don't need to go anywhere."

"The rumors about the wild cats in the woods," Smudge responded. "You've heard them. They say that they eat anyone who dares trespass, and they are the size of a car. They have claws that will tear you open." He huffed. "All talk, if you ask me. The cats probably don't even exist.

"But it got me thinking: what if there _are_ cats out there somewhere who hunt and don't have to rely on housefolk?" he continued. "_They_ definitely exist. It isn't crazy to think about! We have claws for a reason. Wanna know _my_ theory?"

"Sure," Rusty hesitantly responded. "What is it?"

"We were once wild, like… like mice, and squirrels, and deer are," Smudge meowed seriously. "But then housefolk took us and made us live with them. After so many generations, there are some cats with housefolk and some that couldn't even imagine it. We just so happened to be two of the former."

"So you're saying we could transition into the other type if we left," Rusty finished. His friend nodded. "Well, I couldn't begin to think about leaving! What would I do without Henry?"

"Henry is just a housefolk," Smudge told him. "I'm your friend. We've known each other for as long as either of us could remember. I knew you before you even _lived_ with Henry. You'd abandon _me_ for _him_?"

Rusty opened his mouth to respond, but the other tom shook his head. The bell on his collar jingled as he meowed, "No, I won't do that to you. You can choose what you want. I'm going no matter what, though." He turned and ran back in the direction of his nest.

Rusty watched him go. He couldn't leave Henry, but he couldn't just let Smudge go alone. _I can't understand his fantasy about being free and whatever_, he thought as his paws travelled across the grass in the direction of his own nest. _We're already free. We're already happy. Why leave?_

The next morning, Rusty woke up to tapping on the "sliding glass door", as Henry called it. Smudge was hitting it with a forepaw. He continued until his friend stood before him, half-asleep.

"I'm out of here," Smudge informed him. "Are you coming?"

Rusty had already thought his answer through. After taking a deep breath, he replied, "I'm sorry, but no. I belong _here_, Smudge. I won't follow you to somewhere strange and unknown. I'll miss you."

Smudge was quiet for a while. When he spoke again, it was, "I understand. I'll miss you too, Rusty." He tore the silver bell off of his green collar. He set it down. "This is for you. To remember me, you know? I won't need it; it'll only scare prey away."

"Do you ever know _how_ to hunt?!" Rusty asked, growing angry. Angry that his only friend was leaving him. Angry that he was being left with a choice. Just _angry_.

"No, but I'll learn," Smudge replied sadly, seeing his friend's clear frustration with his departure. "I've spent five moons with my housefolk, Rusty. That's enough for me. I'm okay with that being not enough for you."

Smudge dipped his head solemnly, then turned and slowly walked away. He went into the woods beside Rusty's nest without looking back. The ginger tabby jumped onto a kitchen counter and pushed the partially open window up enough for him to run through. Once he was outside, he went to the other side of the clear door.

There lay the bell, part of it brown from the silver stuff wearing away. Rusty picked it up and held it in his teeth as he got back inside. He hid it in his soft gray bed, in a small piece of open fabric where the white filling was exposed.

Many nights he watched out every window that he could see the woods. He waited for his friend to reappear, maybe even apologize for being gone for so long. However, it never happened. A full moon and some days passed, yet he never came back.

One night Rusty was hunting. Funny. It was as if he were with Smudge, out in the wild. He didn't even have his blue collar around his neck. And look, there his bicolored friend was! He didn't wear his collar, either.

"Found a pheasant!" Smudge meowed cheerfully, his dark eyes bright. The bird was squeezed between his jaw and chest.

"You mouse-brain, you scared my squirrel away!" Rusty told him, smiling. He stood up straight to look at the pheasant. "Lucky catch," he complimented. "Everyone's gonna fight over it."

"No need," Smudge snorted. "This will feed multiple cats."

Rusty stopped smiling as he slowly realized something: this wasn't real. It was just a dream. Smudge was probably dead by now, his body being eaten by scavengers. He opened his mouth to tell the dream-Smudge that, but the cat caught on fire. He gasped and jumped back.

"What's wrong?" dream-Smudge asked. "You act like you've seen our ancestors." He didn't seem bothered or even notice that his flesh was being eaten by the flames.

"You're… you're…" Rusty stuttered, frozen with fear. His vision went black as he fainted. There was only one thing he heard other than crackling flames or a worried dream-Smudge.

"Fire will save the Clans."

**This is a complete rewrite, so that means that some things (like Smudge's personality) will be different. But I'll still keep the most important things (Bluestar giving up her kits, Tigerclaw being evil). And some things I just like too much to get rid of**.

**thanks**** for reading i guess.**


	2. Chapter 1

Rusty sighed. This _had_ to be the day he saw Smudge again! He could feel it. He reached his head up, looking. He could hear Henry calling for him, but he couldn't just abandon his post. What if Smudge came, expecting a warm welcome, but found only an empty garden?

Rusty saw a russet-furred squirrel scramble up an oak closest to the nest. It could've just been his lousy view from on top of the fence, but it almost seemed like… it was calling him. It turned its head, its beady black eyes staring at him. He found himself jumping down and running to the tree.

"What is it, squirrel?" he murmured, tilting his ginger head.

The rodent just stared down. It flicked its bushy tail, then skittered to a branch and jumped to the next tree. Rusty followed from the ground as it jumped from tree to tree. He almost yelled for it to slow down, but that would be ridiculous. It wasn't as if it was intending to lead him somewhere. He was just… hunting.

Rusty followed relentlessly, even after his legs began to hurt. Soon he forced himself to stop and catch his breath. As he panted, he realized that the squirrel ran back to a tree in front of him and was seemingly waiting. He clambered back onto his paws and approached the oak.

"I _have_ to be imagining this," Rusty told it, craning his neck to get a good look at it. "What do you want, little squirrel? Do you even understand me?"

The squirrel did nothing but flick an ear. Suddenly, it flinched and looked over to the left. Its chest rose and fell quickly. It scrabbled as if trying to move away, but it ended up falling to the forest floor. A cat pounced on it and bit its spine. The house cat's jaw fell as he backed away.

"You shouldn't be here, kittypet," the gray cat growled. He looked up from his catch. "You must be lost."

"Just let me go, okay?" Rusty asked, almost begged. He felt his heart pound similarly to how the squirrel's did right before its death.

"My mentor taught me to send every trespasser away with something they'll remember me by," the wild cat hissed as he approached Rusty, his big yet young paws revealing sharp claws. "And I do as I'm told. Perhaps you'll go away unlike the other one."

"What other one?" Rusty questioned him, his mind flashing to Smudge. "What did you do to him?"

The wild cat said nothing in response. With his amber eyes gleaming, he pounced on the smaller cat. Rusty screamed as flashes of brutal pain went through him. He'd never felt anything so awful in his life. The gray tom's claws scored him over and over as he held him down.

Rusty tried fighting back, but he had no strength or experience. He managed to scratch him on the stomach a few times with his hind claws, yet he knew that he wasn't anywhere near winning the battle. He felt a desperation so unknown to him, so unlike anything else. He wanted to live more than ever.

Rusty, with strength he didn't know he possessed, threw his attacker off and jumped to his paws. The wild cat twisted so that he landed on all fours. He only seemed excited that his prey was fighting back. His fluffy tail lashed, and his yellowed teeth bared.

"Come at me, kittypet!" he growled. "I'm ready."

Rusty shook his head. "Please leave me alone," he told him. "I just wanna go home."

"What's going on here?" a deep meow sounded from behind him. Rusty whipped around, bristling defensively. He made eye contact with a large golden tom.

"Graypaw, what's going on?" a lean tabby asked, looking over the scene. He turned his head to the wounded house cat. "You've caught yourself a kittypet. We don't need another one, you know."

"Darkstripe, I tried to chase it off-" Graypaw began defending himself.

"You should've just warned him," the golden tom interrupted. "What does Darkstripe teach you?" He shook his head, then looked to the small black-and-white cat beside him. "Stormpaw, you might know this cat. You came from the Twolegplace, after all."

"I think I might, but I didn't know scents there," Stormpaw told him. "I would have to know his name." He thought for a moment. "Actually, I know for certain I know him. If I'm right, this cat was my best friend." He approached him. "Rusty, right?"

Rusty nodded. He could recognize this cat's look from first glance. He'd memorized every little detail. "Smudge!" he breathed. They embraced in a nuzzle.

"Have you come to join me?" Smudge- no, _Stormpaw_ asked. "I'm sure Bluestar will allow you!" He turned to the golden tabby. "This is my mentor, Lionheart. Darkstripe and Graypaw are mentor and apprentice too." His smile faded. "We really need to get you to camp. You look awful."

Rusty only just realized he'd been trembling. He was covered in his own blood and wounds, his striped fur a mess and caked with dirt and grass. He almost shook his head, but he knew he couldn't deny help. He could hardly stand.

"Do you have a vet?" Rusty asked him tentatively, his voice small and shaky.

Lionheart shook his head, his amber eyes confused. "Whatever that is, we don't have one," he replied. "We have a medicine cat. The least we could do is have your wounds treated. Think of it as an apology for Graypaw's behavior."

"But he trespassed!" Graypaw protested. "He got what he deserved. We shouldn't waste herbs on him."

"Don't be rude," Stormpaw hissed. "You assaulted a helpless cat, Graypaw. We aren't ShadowClan; we don't do that. Plus, it's greenleaf! We have _plenty_ of herbs."

"Quiet!" Darkstripe ordered, then looked to Lionheart. "I can't help but agree with Graypaw. The kittypet got what was coming to him. We should make him leave and not worry about it."

"Darkstripe, I don't think you understand the severity of your apprentice's actions," Lionheart meowed seriously. "We're going to have Spottedleaf treat his wounds, and we'll send him back to the Twolegplace with an escort. We don't assert order by violence."

Darkstripe huffed, glaring at the other cat. He looked down at Graypaw. "Grab your squirrel," he demanded. "Let's move. We'll go before them and warn camp."

Graypaw lifted his prey, having to raise his head high as to not drag it on the ground. Mentor and apprentice padded off, and neither looked back. Rusty stared after them, sighing. He turned his head up to face Lionheart.

"Lionheart, thank you," he murmured. "I just hope I don't bring any trouble or anything."

"You won't," Lionheart assured him. "Your name is Rusty?" The house cat nodded. "Well, Rusty, I hope you don't think ill of ThunderClan because of those two. They're just… very aggressive. They really aren't bad cats."

"Graypaw's actually really nice on a good day," Stormpaw added, offering a reassuring smile. "He may have a real anti-kittypet attitude because of his mentor, but I joined when he first started his training. Before Darkstripe began having an influence, he was cool."

"I don't know…" Rusty muttered, shrugging. "I just want this pain to go away."

"If you join, you can learn how to get him back," Stormpaw told him. "I'll help you!"

"Stormpaw, we don't attack Clanmates!" Lionheart reminded him.

"I meant I'll help him with his battle training," Stormpaw mewed, grinning innocently.

"Besides, you don't even know if he _wants_ to join," Lionheart continued. "And if he did, it's up to Bluestar. She almost didn't even accept _you_." He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's get going. Those two have probably rallied the entire Clan into a battle patrol."

"Lean on me, Rusty," Stormpaw advised. When he did, the three set off.

Rusty thought about everything that had happened. What if he _did_ want to join? _Did_ he? He couldn't, especially not after seeing what wild cats were like. But then he thought of the russet squirrel. It had led him into the woods for a reason. Maybe he was _supposed_ to join Stormpaw.

"I want to join," he found himself whispering.


	3. Chapter 2

"This is Spottedleaf!" Stormpaw told Rusty. "She'll help you."

Rusty felt like collapsing after the long trip to the "medicine cat", whatever that was. His paws were sore and worn, unused to walking so much. _Or so fast_, he thought, wincing as he remembered the great speed he'd had to keep up with on the way.

"I'm sure Bluestar already knows you're here from Darkstripe and Graypaw, so I'll go tell her that you're ready to talk," Lionheart meowed. He dipped his head to Spottedleaf before leaving the den.

Spottedleaf watched him go before turning to Rusty with a kind smile. "Greetings," she mewed. "Graypaw tells me he did quite a number on you."

"Yeah, he did," Rusty admitted, smiling awkwardly. He tried not to flinch when she began sniffing him over, looking at his wounds. "Can you fix me?" he asked nervously.

"Of course," Spottedleaf replied as she walked away. She began pawing through multiple different plants that were organized in such a unique way.

"Stormpaw?" Rusty mewed. His friend looked at him. "Er, did you _plan_ to join them when you left?"

"No," Stormpaw snorted, shaking his head. "I thought they were rumors, so I decided I'd just live in the woods they were said to be. Turns out, cats actually inhabit this place."

"What happened to your collar?" Rusty asked him, tilting his head. The spot where his green collar normally was, was replaced with mottled fur. "And your name?" he added.

"I had to get rid of anything that symbolized my kittypet life," Stormpaw explained. "Clan cats have a specific lifestyle that I needed to follow if I were to stay. That included changing my name and burying my collar."

"You'll have to do the same, young Rusty," Spottedleaf warned the kittypet as she approached him again, this time carrying herbs in her mouth and bundles of white stuff on her pelt.

"If you stay, that is," Stormpaw reminded him. "Bluestar might not want another outsider in her Clan."

"You can go, Stormpaw," Spottedleaf told the apprentice, setting her herbs down. "After all, I'm sure you have duties that need done."

As the bicolored tom left the den with a cheerful goodbye, Spottedleaf began pressing some of the white bundles to Rusty's wounds. They quickly turned a reddish color, soaking up the blood. It stung a little each time one touched him, but the pain eased within heartbeats.

"What _are_ those things?" Rusty asked her curiously.

"Cobweb," Spottedleaf replied. "Alright, now I'm going to put a poultice on. This is what'll _really_ help."

Rusty waited as Spottedleaf pulled away and began chewing up the herbs she'd brought over. When she was finished, she applied it to his wounds. This stung as well, but it was a sharper sting than the cobweb. He couldn't count the amount of times he flinched.

"Bluestar, you can come in now," Spottedleaf meowed once they were finished. "I'm done with him."

Rusty's mouth gaped as a blue-gray she-cat with a silver tinged muzzle entered the den. "How'd you know she was waiting outside?" he asked, amazed.

"She smelled my scent," Bluestar replied for the medicine cat. "Hello, Rusty. I hear you want to join us."

"I-I do," he stuttered nervously. He hadn't thought of what he'd do or say when interacting with who he assumed was their leader.

"You're aware that this life is much, _much_ harder than your current one," Bluestar explained. "You must hunt for your own food; there's no twoleg here to feed you. You must perform duties, which include caring for our elders and queens. You must learn to defend yourself."

"Yeah, I know!" Rusty mewed, not wanting to admit his real hesitance. After all, wasn't he only joining because of some squirrel? "I really wanna join your… er, Clan."

Bluestar raised a brow and exchanged a glance with Spottedleaf. "Please excuse us, Rusty," she meowed, leading the medicine cat to the back of the den where he couldn't hear them.

Rusty was suddenly insecure. What if they were talking about how foolish he was to try joining? What if they were quietly laughing at how scared he was? He didn't think friendly Spottedleaf would do that, but stoic Bluestar might.

They kept _looking_ at him. Just glancing over. Rusty shrunk down, his ears flattened. Bluestar kept motioning with her muzzle at him, and Spottedleaf seemed indecisive about something. The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded slowly after assumably being asked something; then they both padded back over.

"I'll have to discuss it with Redtail, but you might be joining us," Bluestar told him right before leaving.

"It's greenleaf, so we have more prey than we know what to do with," Spottedleaf meowed. "Surely you're hungry. Would you like some?"

"Yeah, alright," Rusty hesitantly responded, unsure if he actually did. It was only because of his empty stomach that he'd even replied in the affirmative. Curse his refusal to eat when he woke up!

"I'm hungry too," Spottedleaf mewed, getting to her paws. "I had to deliver kits earlier this morning, so I haven't eaten. You might be able to visit them later." She started walking out. "I'll be right back. You stay there."

Rusty watched her leave. He clambered up onto his paws slowly. He wasn't sure what drove him to - curiosity? - but he began going through the herb store. Each type seemed to have their own little spot. He sniffed everything he saw.

Rusty was in the back of the den now, where Spottedleaf's nest was neatly tucked into a corner. It seemed stuffed with brown and white feathers. He began taking a few out, having never felt a feather before, when he came across something tiny. One side was a pink color, while the other was two shades of gray.

That's when he realized that it was a piece of an ear. An _ear_, as in a cat's. He gasped and dropped the piece. That's when he heard someone enter. He shoved the feathers back in, ignoring Spottedleaf calling for him. He didn't have time to put the ear tip back before she came back and saw him.

"What is this, Spottedleaf?" Rusty asked before she could speak, deciding to find out since he'd been caught.

Spottedleaf sighed, "It's… a reminder. Of someone I lost."

"Who was it?" Rusty mewed, ignoring the feeling that he was invading her privacy. His young curiosity was too strong.

"His name was Thistleclaw," she told him. "He was like an older brother to me. He died last leaf-fall in a battle with RiverClan. I know it's kinda weird, but I hunted down the ear tip he'd lost in that battle and I kept it."

Rusty was reminded of the silver bell that he'd stuffed into his own bed back at home. He often turned to it for comfort, jingling it with his paw quietly, whenever he especially missed Stormpaw. He nodded slowly.

"I understand," Rusty told her. "I'm sorry that he died."

"It's alright," Spottedleaf meowed. "He watches us from StarClan now. Come along."

The two cats padded back to the front. Two different kinds of birds lay there. He sat and took one, staring at it. He felt hesitant to take a bite, so he decided to ask something he started wondering from her statement.

"What's StarClan?" Rusty inquired.

"It's where we go when we pass," Spottedleaf explained. "An afterlife. It's our ancestors. Medicine cats heal their Clanmates, but we're also the ones who communicate with them. We go to a place once every moon to do so. Normal cats can see them from Silverpelt, the cluster of stars in the sky."

Rusty was about to ask something else, but he was interrupted by Bluestar coming back in - this time with a small tortoiseshell tom at her side. His distinctive ginger tail told him that _this_ was the Redtail she'd mentioned before leaving. He jumped to his paws, his prey forgotten.

"We've made a decision," Bluestar informed him. She exchanged glances with the other two cats before looking back down at him. "Welcome to ThunderClan, Rusty."


	4. Chapter 3

Rusty followed Bluestar and Redtail out. They'd told him that he needed a "ceremony". Adrenaline flowed through his veins, but he didn't know why. There were just so many cats…! He couldn't imagine every single one gathering to watch him be integrated into the Clan.

"Every cat old enough to catch their own prey, gather underneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Bluestar called as she jumped onto a large, dusky gray boulder.

Rusty noticed Redtail sitting right beneath her on the ground. He turned his head and looked at the ever-growing crowd. They were murmuring quietly amongst themselves. Every pair of eyes held either confusion, anger, or judgment - some had more than one. He whipped back around when the leader began speaking more.

"I, like all of you, never thought we'd take another outsider into ThunderClan," Bluestar announced. "Stormpaw was very lucky to join us, but I know how controversial letting him in was. However, I've decided to welcome young Rusty as well. They seem to be old friends, and so I have faith that Rusty will shape up to be a great warrior like Stormpaw is growing to be."

Loud outcries immediately broke out. Bluestar seemed in no rush to halt them. She simply looked from cat to cat, as if she were understanding the jumbled mess.

"I know you're all upset, but I assure you that this will hardly affect your personal lives," Bluestar meowed over them. "After all, Brokenstar has proven to be too large of a threat for our smaller Clan to deal with. We need apprentices that we can train into warriors. Please respect my decision." She averted her gaze to the kittypet as the crowd gradually quieted. "Rusty, please step forward."

Rusty didn't think that he'd be directly addressed, but he should've; how would he have a ceremony otherwise? Trembling with excitement and nervousness alike, he padded forward. He looked back up at who was now his leader.

"Rusty, from this moment forward you shall be known as Firepaw," Bluestar announced. "I'm unsure of your mentor, so you can train under Tigerclaw and Lionheart until I decide. They're good warriors that will teach you well for the time being. You two, please come up."

Lionheart stepped out from the crowd, approaching Firepaw. The newly-named apprentice felt comfortable around the kind giant, and even offered an excited grin. The golden tabby returned the smile before dipping his head and touching his pink nose to the former kittypet's own. The second cat, whom Firepaw assumed was Tigerclaw, joined them.

Firepaw tried not to show his surprise; after all, he didn't expect Tigerclaw to look as he did. He towered over him at the same height as Lionheart and had identical broad shoulders, but something about him was much more intimidating than the other. A scowl was seemingly permanently imbedded into his features, and he had cold amber eyes that dug into his skull.

Tigerclaw touched noses with Firepaw, but even a kit could tell that he detested it. However, it somehow remained uncommented on by Bluestar or Lionheart. Maybe Firepaw had just imagined it? He never thought that he was an insecure or anxious cat, though. It must've been all the attention messing with his head.

Bluestar remained silent, seemingly waiting for something. Firepaw realized what it was when Stormpaw began chanting his name, causing most of the crowd to unenthusiastically and hesitantly follow. The ginger apprentice listened on until the chants quickly died down, and he was honestly glad for it. He felt incredibly odd hearing it.

"Am I hallucinating, or are my Clanmates applauding an outsider?!" a pale golden tom in the crowd yowled as everyone turned to stare at him. "We already took in _one_. I say we send this kit back to the twolegplace with something he won't forget!"

"That tom is called Longtail," Lionheart informed Firepaw in a low voice. "He is young but loyal and fierce. Will you let him bad-mouth you, Firepaw? Will you let him finish what Graypaw started, or will you fight back?"

"Yeah, _Firepaw_," Longtail repeated, lashing the limb he was named after. "You just gonna stand there, or you gonna do something? Why don't you come prove you're worthy of your name?!" His frosty blue eyes blazed with a strange mixture of anger and excitement; it was hard to predict which would influence his actions more.

Firepaw felt his blood boil with fury. For the first time in his life, he felt truly angry. Never before had he been utterly humiliated in front of so many cats. To make it worse, he saw some holding in mocking laughter. He knew his fur was bristling, which likely made him look more ridiculous. A tiny kit of six moons about to stand up to a skilled warrior almost twice his size? He was sure that if he were originally from this Clan, he'd laugh.

"I-I will!" Firepaw yowled back, taking a few steps towards him. He noted that the crowd had cleared a small circle around Longtail, likely expecting a fight. "Yeah, I'll claw you _so_ good!" he continued. "You won't-"

"Come get me then, kittypet!" Longtail smirked. "I can smell your fear-scent, you know. I'm not as mouse-brained as you think."

Firepaw looked at Stormpaw in the cluster of cats, as if he could help in any way. The apprentice only offered an encouraging nod. The ginger tabby looked back to the lean warrior. He didn't really know how to fight, but how hard could it be? It wasn't like there was a special way to use your claws. He took a deep breath and got in a crouch, then launched himself.

Longtail seemed to have seen this coming, because he used his shoulder to hit the flying Firepaw to the ground. His chest ached as he scrabbled back to his paws, but he was quickly eating dirt again. Longtail had pinned him and raked his sides, tearing off the fresh poultices on his wounds from earlier. He yowled, trying to get up.

"Fine, kitty," Longtail taunted, getting off. "I'll let you stand." While he was getting back up, he whacked him with enough force to put him back. "What's this about clawing me? You haven't done that at all!"

Firepaw lay completely still, contemplating his next move. He was glad that Longtail wasn't attacking for these few safe seconds; it gave him time to think. However, he decided to remain this way. He heard the black-striped warrior pad closer silently, confused by his stillness. He seemed to be deciding whether or not this was a trick. While he was thinking, the former kittypet launched up and attached himself to his front.

Both toms exploded into yowls as Firepaw clung to his fur and hit anywhere he could get at with his claws. He managed to inflict a lot of scratches before being thrown off. He twisted to land on all fours, proud that he'd managed to do even a little bit regarding damage. He realized that he'd even hit the other tom's ear and had cut a little slice out of it.

The cats were joined again, scrabbling across the ground. Longtail seemed to have abandoned any tactics and was just attacking blindly. Even younger Graypaw seemed to be following some sort of coordination before. Longtail had let his fury that a kittypet had harmed him overwhelm him. Firepaw found that ignoring size, they were almost equal. He would look back at this moment whenever he thought that training did nothing.

It wasn't long before Longtail had snatched Firepaw's collar. The ginger tom gasped for air as he pulled away. He knew that his resistance was only making it worse, but what else could he do? His mind was filled with panic. All he could think about was getting away. Within a single blink of an eye, he fell face-first into the ground. He looked up. His collar was clenched in Longtail's teeth, who quickly threw it down out of disgust.

"Firepaw has lost his collar in a battle for his honor," Bluestar announced, looking down at him with what he thought might be pride. "Therefore, I can easily confirm that this young tom has StarClan's blessing to begin his training." She leaped down as Longtail went skulking off, embarrassed, to Spottedleaf's den.

Cats instantly crowded him. "Welcome to ThunderClan!" he heard a few say. However, it wasn't long before Redtail dispersed them.

"Welcome, Firepaw," Redtail meowed kindly. Unlike Lionheart, he didn't have a deep voice; his mew was lighter and younger sounding. "You need to get your wounds retreated. My sister probably won't mind."

"Thanks, I'll go see her," Firepaw told him, feeling more at ease. The slightly higher pitch of his voice and his short height made him much less intimidating than others. "Are you a leader too?" he asked. "You seem really important. Bluestar had to ask you about letting me join."

"I'm her deputy," Redtail explained. "I'll take her place after she leaves us for StarClan. Think of me as like… a second leader. I organize patrols to mark borders and hunt."

Firepaw almost asked him something else, but the tortoiseshell went on, "Speaking of patrols, I need to sort the sunhigh ones. They'll be going out soon. Good to meet you, Firepaw."

When Redtail left his side, Firepaw limped back to the den he knew Spottedleaf to be. His bird was pushed to the side, he noticed. Longtail was getting a poultice put on his wounds. He was yapping on to the medicine cat how "that kittypet just got lucky" and "he'd better not cross me next time".

"You're done, Longtail," Spottedleaf told him politely, but surely there was no way she actually agreed. "Firepaw's waiting his turn at the entrance."

Firepaw quickly moved out of the way before Longtail could shoulder him or whatever he might want to do. Luckily, the young warrior just grumbled to himself as he left without saying anything aloud. The smaller cat ran up to the friendly she-cat and sat, prepared to face the same stinging from earlier.

While he was getting treated, Stormpaw and a tall tom with a scrawny body and lanky limbs entered. "Firepaw, let me introduce you to Ravenpaw," Stormpaw meowed cheerfully. "He's Tigerclaw's apprentice."

Ravenpaw's tail tip and forepaws were dipped in white, which stood out among his pitch black coat. He smiled a little. "Hello," he mewed hesitantly, as if he had something to be afraid of.

"Don't mind him," Stormpaw added. "He's just a little jumpy. Probably because of how strict Tigerclaw is."

"That's okay," Firepaw meowed. "He's pretty scary."

"He's not all bad," Ravenpaw insisted. "He isn't a rubbish mentor. He's taught me a lot."

"Ravenpaw and his brother have trained for a full three moons!" Stormpaw told his friend. "Sandpaw has too, but she isn't from their litter. They'll probably be made warriors soon."

"Have you fought in a battle yet?" Firepaw inquired curiously.

"No," Ravenpaw replied, flicking an ear. "And as far as I've heard, I hope I don't for a long time. It sounds too awful…"

"Spottedleaf mentioned a cat named Thistleclaw dying in a battle last leaf-fall," Firepaw commented. "Was that the last one that happened?"

Spottedleaf seemed caught off guard at the mention of Thistleclaw. "Of course it wasn't," she interrupted, her formerly kind voice now stern. "There are border skirmishes with ShadowClan at least once a moon! Now quiet about battle."

All three apprentices were surprised at her outburst. They were quiet until she finished. "Take your bird and eat in the sun," she ordered, her voice still rushed. "Tell Tigerclaw and Lionheart that I've dismissed you from training for today."

Firepaw did as he was told, although her uncharacteristic behavior stuck with him. As the trio sat down outside, he asked, "Do you two know what that was about?"

Stormpaw shook his head, and Ravenpaw responded, "No. Whatever it is, it's either something private or a story that hasn't been told since I've been alive. Thistleclaw died the leaf-fall I was kitted."

Firepaw decided to ask Spottedleaf later. For now, though, he had to tend to his growling stomach. He was admittedly pretty nervous about eating the dead bird, but he could see Tigerclaw and a pale golden queen sharing one on the other side of the clearing. Two kits were nibbling at a small mouse. If they could do it, he could too.

"The first bite will open your eyes, Rus- Firepaw," Stormpaw told him. "Prepare yourself for a life changing experience."

Firepaw huffed, but in reality he agreed. Whether negatively or positively, this would change the way he viewed his kibble. He took a small bite, chewing through the feathers. The texture of meat instead of hard pellets was so much more pleasing, and the flavor tasted so much better than the generic one he was used to. He wondered how he'd lived without this for his entire life.

"This is amazing!" Firepaw exclaimed, taking another bite. He was silent until he finished, licking his whiskers clean.

"Ravenpaw here was the first one to actually be nice to me, other than Lionheart or Spottedleaf," Stormpaw spoke up, clearly wanting to fill the silence. "He came up and asked if I wanted to share a squirrel. Mind that I was scared of everything and everyone, but I hadn't eaten yet. So I accept, and after a while comes Tigerclaw. This beast of a cat starts telling Ravenpaw to go clean out the elders' nests. Probably didn't want me around him."

The story and the next few passed in hardly no time at all. Ravenpaw even told some of his own or added onto things Stormpaw said. Firepaw felt comfortable and happy already, listening to the older tom talk about his deceased mother or his longtime friend recount his first experiences in ThunderClan. The sun began to set before long, but the three cats kept on.

Firepaw caught Graypaw glancing over a few times from where he sat with a brown ticked tabby and a pale ginger she-cat. He almost seemed jealous of how carefree they were. Yet he was hardly older than Firepaw; what's there to envy? That's when the former kittypet continually saw Darkstripe watching his apprentice. Was he pressuring him to be a certain way? Stormpaw had said that Graypaw was fun at the beginning of his training.

In his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that the other two had fallen silent. "Graypaw isn't a bad cat," Ravenpaw told him. "Darkstripe was a bad choice of mentor for him. He's made Graypaw stuck up and angry. He's no fun. He was friends with me when he was still in the nursery. Now he's allowed to do nothing, say nothing. Darkstripe controls him. He definitely wasn't that strict with Longtail. Must not want his brother to be a failure."

"They're brothers?" Firepaw asked.

"Half," Ravenpaw nodded. "It can't be long before Graypaw cracks under the pressure." His olive eyes looked at his former friend sadly.

"I don't understand why Bluestar thought it a good idea," Stormpaw meowed. "Those two cats are a rotten pair. She needs to give him a different mentor."

Firepaw jumped when Graypaw turned to glare at them. They all looked away instantly. "We've been noticed," he whispered.

"Well, we were all staring at him and talking," Stormpaw mewed. "He isn't mouse-brained. He knows we were talking about him. Look, he's even sitting up straighter!"

"Stop looking at him!" Ravenpaw anxiously told him. "He'll tell Darkstripe, and Darkstripe will tell Tigerclaw, and I'll have to run from Sunningrocks to camp a dozen times again. I don't wanna do that; my legs hurt until morning last time."

"Just for talking about someone?" Stormpaw asked. "You ate before doing duties that time. That was justified. You speaking while looking at another apprentice? Not punishable."

Ravenpaw seemed uncertain, but he didn't get a chance to speak. The pale ginger apprentice had padded over to them. "Can you stop talking about us?" she growled. "It's really rude."

"Sorry, Sandpaw," Ravenpaw apologized. "It won't happen again."

Sandpaw huffed and padded back to Graypaw and the ticked tabby. Firepaw rose to his paws. "I guess you guys don't have litterboxes," he meowed. "Where do I go to make dirt then?"

"I'll take you," Stormpaw volunteered. "Ravenpaw, we'll be right back."

The two toms padded to a place right outside of camp. When they returned, Ravenpaw was gone. Firepaw tried conversating with Stormpaw, but his mind was too distracted by everything from the day. It was likely dark around the time he fell asleep. All he could remember from his dreams were glimpses of a spiky-furred tom and a bright meadow where he greeted Spottedleaf as if they hadn't seen each other for moons.

Everything else was a blur.

**extra long chapter because you're welcome. also i feel bad for making them so short. I'm doing two books in this, i better start getting lengthy. pls give encouragement.**


	5. Chapter 4

Firepaw awoke to shaking. He sleepily opened his eyes, only to be instantly blinded by the early morning sun. He squeezed them shut again and heaved himself into a sitting position, then reopened them. He noticed that he had remained outside for the entire night.

"Good morning!" Stormpaw greeted him cheerfully. "Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw are on one of the dawn patrols, so it's just me and Lionheart training you for now."

"Okay," Firepaw shrugged, getting to his paws to stretch his legs. "What're we doing?"

"We're gonna take you on a territory tour, but we'll also probably do something else later," Stormpaw replied. "If your pads hurt yesterday, then you won't even wanna _imagine_ what today will be like."

Firepaw cringed. "Doesn't sound fun."

"It's not, but you'll get used to all the walking," the bicolor assured him. "Only took me about a half moon." He suddenly looked up excitedly. "Don't look, Firepaw, but Cherrysong is staring at us!"

Firepaw turned his head to make eye contact with a calico she-cat on the other side of camp. Her jade gaze quickly left them when she was noticed. The ginger kit looked back over at his friend.

"I told you not to look!" Stormpaw whispered.

"What's so special about her?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?!" Stormpaw gasped. "She's the prettiest, sweetest she-cat in the Clans! I think she might like me. Don't you know how happy that'd make me?"

"She's over there talking to Longtail, though," Firepaw pointed out. "I doubt she's all that great."

"One, they were just put on a hunting patrol together," Stormpaw meowed. "Two, they're littermates. Why wouldn't she talk to her own brother?"

"I guess you have a point," Firepaw admitted. "I still don't understand, though."

Lionheart padding over halted the conversation. "Let's go," he meowed. "You two can eat after we get back and you do your duties."

"Not even a little sparrow before we head out?" Stormpaw asked.

Lionheart smiled. "Let's go."

Stormpaw sighed, but had a grin on his muzzle nonetheless. The three cats left camp wordlessly, yet this didn't last long. The two apprentices began chattering about nothing in particular. However, the beginning of the tour silenced them.

"This, Firepaw, is what we call the sandy hollow," Lionheart meowed. "There are no apprentices here now, but there will be soon. This is where our young cats learn their battle skills."

Firepaw stepped onto the soft sand. He was standing in a small clearing covered in the pale substance. That's all it seemed to be.

"Why did you choose this place to practice fighting?" Firepaw asked.

"We didn't," Lionheart responded. "Our ancient ancestors did. However, you're sadly unable to ask _them_. My guess is that it was the best use for this place."

They continued along to a part of the forest that suddenly turned from oak trees to pines. "Where did the oaks go?" Firepaw asked with a confused tone.

"They stop once we reach this area," Lionheart explained to him. "That's why we call this place Tallpines. Nearby is the Treecut Place, which we avoid at all costs. It's silent today, but this is a very loud area during the warm seasons. They cut down trees around here with huge, special monsters."

"I'm sure Snakerocks is more dangerous than Treecut Place," Stormpaw told his mentor.

"Just because something is worse doesn't mean that it isn't bad," Lionheart countered.

"What's Snakerocks?" Firepaw inquired.

"A place that we won't be visiting anytime soon," Lionheart replied. "Such a place is deadly for a tiny kit like yourself."

"I'm half-grown!" Firepaw corrected.

"Yes, but that's still small," the tabby warrior snorted. "Let's keep moving. We have a lot of ground to cover."

And so they moved on. They walked a long way before stopping again. Firepaw had to sit on one of many gray boulders to ease his aching paws. A river sliced through the land in front of them. He could see stones in it, presumably to use in order to get across.

"This is Sunningrocks," Lionheart informed him. "It's our border with RiverClan. We currently own this strip of land, but those fish-munchers continue to fight us for it. Tensions have been rising lately, so it cannot be long before the next battle."

"Was a battle for Sunningrocks the one that Thistleclaw died in?" Firepaw asked.

Lionheart's pale green eyes widened with surprise. "Who told you about Thistleclaw?"

"Spottedleaf," Firepaw answered. "She said that he was like a brother to her, but she doesn't seem to want to talk about it."

The warrior's eyes darkened. "I see," he murmured, turning away to face RiverClan territory. "Yes, he died in a battle for Sunningrocks. RiverClan had owned it previously, and Bluestar devised a plan to get it back. It worked, but we lost two warriors."

"Two?"

"Thistleclaw, as you already know, and a tom named Fuzzypelt," Lionheart meowed. "Fuzzypelt is the father of Dustpaw and Ravenpaw. Robinwing was still pregnant with them when he died. He was simply too old; he was a warrior when Bluestar herself was kitted. He refused to retire, and he ended up giving his life in battle."

"What happened to Robinwing?" Firepaw mewed, knowing about her from Ravenpaw but not knowing her cause of death.

"Greencough the leaf-bare after." Lionheart looked back to him. "But we're getting off-topic. Smell the air."

Firepaw did so, and found a stranger scent wafting over from the other side of the river. "What is it?" he asked.

"RiverClan scent, of course!" Lionheart replied. "The wind is blowing our way today, so we can easily smell their rank. Don't worry, though; we won't have to deal with it daily."

"ShadowClan smells worse," Stormpaw spoke up as they began walking again. "I bet that-"

"Greetings," a light voice meowed ahead of them.

Firepaw turned his head forward, it having been backward to look at Stormpaw, to see a patrol. It included Redtail, Tigerclaw, a pale gray she-cat, and Ravenpaw.

"Good morning, Redtail," Lionheart greeted the deputy. "What took you so long to get moving?"

"Ravenpaw insisted that we eat something first," Tigerclaw growled, glaring at the lanky apprentice.

"Sorry," Ravenpaw murmured, his eyes cast downward.

"How's the tour going?" the gray warrior asked.

"It's good, Willowpelt," Stormpaw answered.

"Enough talking," Redtail meowed gently but sternly. "We must get on with the patrol. Good day to you three."

"Good day," mentor and apprentices echoed as the patrol moved quickly past them. The trio kept walking as well.

It wasn't long before they came to a tall oak that had a gaping black hole near the top. "This is the Owl Tree," Lionheart mewed. "That hole is where the owl lives. You see these bundles?" He motioned to multiple small bundles scattered around the foot of the tree. "Owls's bodies cannot break down bones of prey like ours can, so they just throw it all back up. And those are the result."

"Gross," Firepaw murmured.

"At least you weren't told to grab it," Stormpaw meowed. "Lionheart did that to me, and only told me what they were afterward."

Suddenly, yowls split the air. It came from the direction they'd just come. "Something is happening!" Firepaw mewed, shaken.

"A battle," Lionheart growled. "Very well. Stormpaw, Firepaw, you two go back to camp! I must help my Clanmates."

"You've taught me how to fight; let me help!" Stormpaw protested.

"You've hardly even mastered the basics!" Lionheart corrected. "Go to camp immediately, or I'll have to punish you. We can finish the tour later." He dashed off to Sunningrocks.

Stormpaw huffed. "He thinks I can't do anything!" he complained. "I just want to help fight."

"It's probably best to do what he told us," Firepaw reasoned. He knew that although Stormpaw acted tough, he wouldn't stand a chance against fully trained warriors.

Stormpaw sighed, "Fine, but only because you're here. If you weren't, I'd have nothing to live for. I'd be willing to die fighting for ThunderClan." He began walking towards camp.

"You have our Clanmates to live for," Firepaw reminded him, padding close to his side.

"Not before you arrived," Stormpaw shook his head, his usual energetic and cheery mood turning dark. "No one likes me here, except for Ravenpaw. I bet even Lionheart doesn't like mentoring me. All because I used to be a kittypet."

"You could've come home," Firepaw pointed out. "I'm sure your housefolk would've been glad to take you back in."

"It's not that simple," Stormpaw told him. "When I took a new name and got rid of my collar, I made an oath to ThunderClan: that I would dedicate full loyalty to them. It's part of the warrior code to reject the soft life of a kittypet, after all. I couldn't have a paw in two worlds. Even _thinking_ about home felt like betraying them."

"But what would the code matter if you left?" Firepaw asked. "You could just ignore it if you became a house cat again. You-"

"Agh, Rusty!" Stormpaw snapped, whipping around to snarl at him. He put a forepaw in his path to stop him from moving forward. "You don't get it!"

"Is that why you called me 'Rusty' and not my new name?" Firepaw meowed, taken off-guard.

Stormpaw's eyes widened, as if he'd only just noticed. He looked away. "Old habits die hard," he murmured. "I still feel like a kittypet sometimes. I still miss my housefolk, and my bed, and my sunning spot on the counter. Sometimes I wish I hadn't have left. I feel like _I'm_ the only reason you're here. If I would've stayed, you would've too. You wouldn't have had to leave your home."

"That isn't true," Firepaw told his friend. "I would've probably ended up leaving sooner or later, anyway. I feel _right_ out here. I couldn't imagine staying as a house cat." He sighed. "Let's go back to camp," he mewed.

Stormpaw nodded as they got moving again. "Let's."


	6. Chapter 5

Firepaw's head snapped up when he heard pawsteps rushing into camp. He and Stormpaw had tended to their duties, which meant cleaning out the elders' nests and checking them for ticks, and had started to share a tan rabbit. The ginger tabby hadn't expected to see a bloody Ravenpaw, his chest heaving desperately for air.

"Ravenpaw!" Bluestar called, jumping to the top of Highrock. "Tell us what happened."

"RiverClan…!" Ravenpaw gasped, hardly able to breathe.

Spottedleaf ran up to him, holding a yellow flowered plant. She set it at his paws. "Eat this, and then speak," she advised.

Ravenpaw shakily snatched the herb with his teeth and swallowed it quickly. He took multiple deep breaths before padding forward and jumping onto Highrock. He just barely missed, and had to scrabble up with his claws. Every cat of ThunderClan had gathered around now, watching with curiosity and concern.

"Redtail…" He breathed some more. "Redtail is dead!" he shouted, his light eyes wide.

Gasps and hushed murmurs erupted among the crowd. Even calm Bluestar appeared shaken. "Ravenpaw, where's Tigerclaw?" she asked the trembling apprentice.

"H-he and Lionheart are coming," Ravenpaw breathed. "Willowpelt… she fled as well. I don't know where she is."

"Calm down," Bluestar told him quietly. "Breathe in and out. Start from the beginning."

Ravenpaw took a few moments to do as told. He seemed to finally be at least slightly calm. Then, "The four of us had just arrived to Sunningrocks. From the shadows came Oakheart and four warriors. He said that we needed to leave, and that the stones belonged to RiverClan now. Redtail refused and told him that we would only give them up if forced. So Oakheart said that they would do so, and he flicked his tail. Then…

"Then RiverClan warriors came upon us," Ravenpaw continued. "Willowpelt was forced to flee from a big black tom almost immediately; he wounded her severely. Not long after, I had to flee too. Tigerclaw told me to go, a-and that I wouldn't die in my first battle. But I came back after running a bit; I couldn't leave without seeing the end of the battle and knowing that everyone was okay. I was crouched in a thick shrub when I saw boulders begin to fall. Oakheart was right in the middle of it, and R-Redtail…"

Tears came to the black tom's eyes, and he began quaking again. His panicked look returned to him. Only heartbeats later, his olive eyes rolled back into his head. He fell sideways from Highrock. He almost crashed to the ground, but Spottedleaf rushed to catch him on her back. She carried him to her den just as three cats arrived.

Tigerclaw stood with Willowpelt on his right and Lionheart on his left. On his back was the bloody corpse of Redtail, his amber eyes dull. The large tabby padded forward and gently slid the body onto the ground. He looked up at his leader.

"Bluestar, it's with a heavy heart that I announce Redtail's demise," he meowed gravely.

Bluestar jumped down and approached the three. "Ravenpaw only got up to the boulders crashing down onto Oakheart and Redtail before fainting," she mewed calmly. "Please, finish it. The Clan deserves to know what happened."

"Very well," Tigerclaw agreed, looking around at his Clanmates. "Ravenpaw was incorrect. The boulders fell not on Oakheart, but on Redtail! Redtail was nearby, so Oakheart pulled him in the path and got out with only a hind leg stuck underneath. That was when I tore his throat out to avenge our fallen deputy. Lionheart and I chased off the remaining warriors, then dragged his corpse out."

Bluestar's eyes seemed to fill with anger, yet her meow remained calm, "Thank you, Tigerclaw." She jumped back up. "RiverClan has done something unforgivable. We may have kept Sunningrocks, but it was hardly worth the death of Redtail. May his spirit rest peacefully with StarClan."

"I'll tend to wounds, if you'll come to my den," Spottedleaf called to the wounded warriors from the mouth of the split rock that she inhabited.

Willowpelt immediately ran to the tortoiseshell, tears in her deep blue eyes. They embraced in a nuzzle before padding inside. Lionheart padded after, and Tigerclaw followed even slower. Another patrol suddenly entered camp: a white tom, a mottled gray she-cat, and Sandpaw. The two mollies' eyes widened.

"Redtail!" the older one meowed, running up to the body. Sandpaw followed, whimpering.

"Poor Brindleface and Sandpaw," Stormpaw mewed quietly. "His mate and daughter…"

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bluestar meowed from her place. "It's an awful thing to lose someone you love."

"Every cat of ThunderClan shall mourn today," Brindleface agreed sadly, her emerald eyes full of tears. Sandpaw had buried her face into her father's bloody fur.

"Bluestar, what will we do?" a pale golden queen asked from the nursery entrance, two scared kits beside her. "Will we wage war on RiverClan?"

"I don't know, Goldenflower," Bluestar sighed. "Only time will tell."

She jumped down and approached Redtail. Sandpaw looked up, but didn't move. The pale ginger apprentice began grooming the body. After a few moments, she moved to the side. Bluestar started licking his wet tortoiseshell fur as well. Every cat of ThunderClan began gathering around, waiting for their turn to do the same.

"What is this?" Firepaw whispered.

"They're sharing tongues with him, one last time," Stormpaw mewed. "Even those who didn't know him well will likely do so. To not share tongues with your dead deputy is more disrespectful than anything I can think of."

A few moments later, the other three cats on the patrol emerged from the medicine den and got in line as well. Spottedleaf looked on from the entrance to the den, her pale eyes sad. Firepaw left his friend to approach her.

"What's wrong?" Firepaw asked. "Did you know Redtail?"

Spottedleaf nodded without looking at him. "He was my brother."

Suddenly, Firepaw remembered: only yesterday had Redtail referred to Spottedleaf as his sister. The poor she-cat had lost two family members in less than a year. Had Thistleclaw been kin, or did she say he was _like_ kin? He couldn't remember, but surely it hardly mattered. She had lost loved ones, and that was what he cared about.

"I'm so sorry," Firepaw meowed sympathetically, although he couldn't understand the pain of loss. "I couldn't imagine losing someone so close to me."

"I've lost plenty of patients, but it hurts even more when you know them well," Spottedleaf mewed quietly. "I hope you never feel the pain of it. My parents, my mentor, my… my friend." She shook her head, gazing at the ground. "And now my littermate. I suppose this is why the medicine cat code forbids certain things."

"The medicine cat code?" Firepaw asked. "Is that like the warrior code?"

"Yes," Spottedleaf nodded, although she didn't seem to be in the mood for teaching. "It contains everything in the warrior code, as well as a few extra rules. The biggest one is not being able to have a mate or kits."

"You still fall in love, though, right?" Firepaw meowed. "You're just not allowed to act on it."

"That's right," Spottedleaf sighed. "I wish to be left alone now. Please go, Firepaw."

Firepaw suddenly realized how rude he'd been by bothering a heavily grieving she-cat. "I'm sorry," he murmured before padding back off to Stormpaw.

Stormpaw had apparently been watching. "Let's finish this rabbit and then go share tongues with him," he meowed.

Firepaw nodded, watching as Spottedleaf joined the crowd. "Okay."

**A short one for y'all.**


	7. Chapter 6

Firepaw awoke in his nest, yawning. "Patrol?" he guessed when he saw Stormpaw before him.

Stormpaw shook his head. "Training," he meowed. "Lionheart just has to finish sorting the dawn patrols, and we can go."

"Hopefully we practice something other than hunting," Firepaw murmured, padding out of the den. He'd only been in the Clan for a half moon, but each day was spent practicing hunting. Firepaw himself hadn't caught anything yet, which just made him feel ashamed.

"Tigerclaw mentioned fighting, so maybe we'll be going to the sandy hollow," Stormpaw told him.

Ravenpaw joined them, yawning. His eyes were half-shut, and it seemed as if he were fighting exhaustion. "Morning," he mumbled.

"You alright?" Firepaw asked, concerned. "Why are you so tired lately?"

"Just sleeping troubles," Ravenpaw shrugged. "Spottedleaf says it should clear up soon."

It seemed like he was hiding something, but Firepaw didn't get the chance to press further before Tigerclaw padded up to them. "Enough chatter!" he ordered. "Ravenpaw, stop slouching! Open your eyes."

Ravenpaw immediately sat straight, his eyes wide. He seemed startled by the appearance of his mentor. "Y-yes, Tigerclaw!"

"Are we battle training?" Stormpaw asked, lifting a hind paw to scratch his ear. "It's been _way_ too long."

"I'm surprised a kittypet complains about not having to do hard work," Tigerclaw growled. "Hold your tongue, Stormpaw!"

"Yes, sir." Stormpaw rolled his eyes.

Tigerclaw only lashed his tail in response. "Ravenpaw, come along!" he told his apprentice. "Lionheart and these two will join us when he's finished with patrols. In the meantime, I need to test you on what you remember. I don't expect it to be very much."

Ravenpaw nodded tentatively. "Yes, Tigerclaw."

The dark-furred tom followed the warrior out, looking back at his friends only for a split second. It was a few more moments before Lionheart padded over to the duo. Two patrols left while they spoke, while the third quickly scarfed down the remains of yesterday's prey.

"We will be battle training today," Lionheart informed them. "Stormpaw, I'll refresh your memory before Tigerclaw and I teach Firepaw anything."

"Sounds good," Stormpaw mewed, shrugging.

The trip to the sandy hollow was done in silence. The early morning air only made Firepaw feel more tired, as it often did. He hated waking up at dawn; he felt as if he never got enough sleep, likely because he was used to sleeping at least twice as much as a kittypet. _At least I'm not as tired as Ravenpaw_, he thought.

Ravenpaw stood waiting in the sand, while Tigerclaw sat to the side. Firepaw bounded excitedly over to his friend. Stormpaw followed, making Firepaw be comfortably squished into the middle. As Lionheart joined Tigerclaw and assumably asked him about the lesson, Firepaw turned to Ravenpaw.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Ravenpaw had lately been behaving very differently as opposed to the day they met. The day that Firepaw lost his collar, the older apprentice was quiet and tentative but very clearly happy. The black tom smiled and laughed then. He could enjoy himself. Nowadays, he seemed to be constantly looking over his shoulder and jumping at the slightest sound.

"Was it the battle?" Stormpaw added. "I'm sure it was a traumatic experience seeing Redtail be crushed, and we won't judge you if that's what's bothering you. We just want to help."

Ravenpaw's olive eyes briefly flashed over to Tigerclaw, who was currently responding to Lionheart in a low voice. He looked sideways at his denmates and whispered, "I'm fine. I've just been having sleeping troubles. I've been over the battle for days now."

"Are you sure?" Firepaw continued pressing. Unfortunately, the two warriors interrupted before he could get an answer. He quickly turned his head to face them.

"Stormpaw, Lionheart will quickly review with you on the other side of the hollow," Tigerclaw announced. "Meanwhile, I'll start the lesson with Ravenpaw and Firepaw. You'll just have to hurry if you don't want to miss much of it."

"Alright," Stormpaw mewed, seemingly unbothered by the thought of missing a portion of the lesson. This was strange to Firepaw, especially considering how excited the bicolored tom had been before about battle training.

Lionheart began padding away, and Stormpaw joined him at his side. Firepaw and Ravenpaw both watched them go until Tigerclaw began speaking again.

"You already know this move, Ravenpaw, so I want your pathetic tail to help me teach Firepaw," Tigerclaw ordered, resulting in a submissive nod from Ravenpaw. The large tabby turned to make direct eye contact with the former kittypet.

"This is a painfully simple move, so I'll be pleasantly surprised if you somehow manage to mess it up," he told Firepaw. "It's called the Leap-and-Hold. This is a move I teach apprentices first, since you lot are so tiny that you'd be easily overpowered in a battle."

"So how does this help?" Firepaw inquired, flicking an ear. He tried to show that he was paying attention and fully interested by asking, but that only seemed to anger the harsh giant.

"I was getting to that," Tigerclaw growled. "Don't speak unless asked a question!" He sighed. "All you have to do is leap onto your opponent's back and cling onto their fur with your claws. With any remaining claws and teeth, strike anywhere you can get to. I teach this to new apprentices because this move is only useful if you're a small cat going up against a larger opponent, which you definitely will be."

"Tigerclaw, can I go make dirt?" Ravenpaw interrupted quietly, his eyelids drooping.

"Maybe a dip in the river will get you awake," Tigerclaw threatened without answering.

Ravenpaw folded his ears back and widened his eyes.

"And no, you cannot," Tigerclaw continued. "You've already used up your three times for the moon."

"There's a limit on making dirt?" Firepaw meowed.

"Yes, there is!" Tigerclaw hissed. "All because of this disgrace abusing his chances to go, just to lounge in the forest and be lazy. I've caught him myself!"

"He can have one of my turns," Firepaw offered. "Maybe he actually has to go."

Tigerclaw stared for a very long time at the ginger cat. Eventually, he sighed grumpily and meowed, "Fine. Ravenpaw, hurry up!"

Ravenpaw flashed a quick glance of thanks in Firepaw's direction before running off into the trees.

"Do you want me to practice the move?" Firepaw asked the warrior.

"Obviously," Tigerclaw growled. "How else would you learn it?" He stepped into the sand. "Go on then. I'll let you attack first, but afterwards we'll see how well you do against the counter move." He narrowed his eyes. "And remember, sheathed claws! Only unsheathe them far enough to cling onto my fur."

Firepaw nodded, looking over Tigerclaw's body. Was this a trick? Knowing the warrior, he expected for him to actually perform the counter this time instead of the second. It was only like him, after all. Tigerclaw may not go so far as to kill unjustly, but he definitely wasn't the most honorable around.

"Well?" Tigerclaw huffed. "Go on!"

Firepaw crouched, then springed. He landed on the brown tabby's broad back. He quickly unsheathed his claws to cling onto his long fur, doing his best to not slice skin. He lifted a forepaw and hit the back of his neck multiple times, and he used the other to swat his back. He'd forgotten that using just his hind claws wouldn't keep him on, so he fell off almost immediately.

"Very smart," Tigerclaw sarcastically commented.

"No one's perfect," Firepaw retaliated calmly as he got to his paws and shook the sand out of his coat.

This was when Ravenpaw returned and joined them. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Not much," Firepaw replied, then turned to Tigerclaw. "Maybe I can practice on Ravenpaw?"

"He's only taller than you," Tigerclaw snorted. "He doesn't weigh any more than you do! But sure, be my guest."

"Do you want me to counter him, Tigerclaw?" Ravenpaw mewed.

Tigerclaw lashed his tail. "Of course, you mouse-brain! He needs to learn to counter the counter."

Ravenpaw and Firepaw turned to face each other. Firepaw was much wearier now, although he was going up against another apprentice. He crouched and leapt onto his friend's narrow back. Almost immediately, Ravenpaw crumpled to the ground due to the weight. _I still have some of my kittypet fat_, Firepaw realized as the tom let out a pained cry. _I weigh more than he does!_

"My paw!" Ravenpaw whimpered as Firepaw hastily climbed off.

"I'm so sorry!" the ginger tabby meowed. "Are you okay?"

"He's fine!" Tigerclaw answered for his apprentice.

"I twisted it," Ravenpaw murmured, holding it up. "It hurts!"

"He needs to go see Spottedleaf," Lionheart input as he and Stormpaw padded over. "Why doesn't Firepaw take him?"

"They'll both be missing out on valuable training time," Tigerclaw argued.

"This is just review for Ravenpaw, and Firepaw has plenty of time to continue learning the move," Lionheart insisted calmly. "While we wait for them to return, we can teach Stormpaw."

Tigerclaw hesitantly nodded approval, then turned to the two. "Don't take your time."

"We won't," Firepaw assured him, supporting Ravenpaw as they padded away.

About halfway to camp, Ravenpaw stood completely on his own and free of support. Firepaw's eyes widened in shock. "I thought you hurt your paw," he meowed.

"I didn't," Ravenpaw admitted. "I just wanted to get out of the training session. I didn't mean to drag you with me."

"I can just go back and say that Spottedleaf asked for you to stay in camp," Firepaw suggested. "And why do you want to skip?" When Ravenpaw remained silent and refused to make eye contact, he added, "I won't hate you for your reason. I just want to know. I'm your friend! I care about you, you know."

Ravenpaw was quiet for a while longer, but eventually sighed. "I can't keep it to myself anymore. I'm losing sleep over it!" His eyes wide, he looked straight at Firepaw. "I saw everything. Oakheart didn't pull Redtail into the path of the boulder. Tigerclaw did."


	8. Chapter 7

**sorry for the short one today lads. also this will start getting very fast paced.**

Firepaw let his lower jaw hang. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Tigerclaw being Redtail's killer? It was unimaginable! Tigerclaw may not be the kindest around, but he would never purposefully harm a Clanmate. Would he?

"I know you probably think I'm crazy or just making it up, but I swear that I'm not lying!" Ravenpaw meowed.

"So how did Oakheart die then?" Firepaw asked. "Did Tigerclaw kill him too?"

Ravenpaw nodded. "He was being honest when he talked about that. He kinda had to; Oakheart was the only witness he noticed that had seen him shove Redtail."

Firepaw took a deep breath, trying to process this new information. He hadn't believed Ravenpaw at first, thinking he might've just had a bad angle and had seen something that hadn't actually happened, but he felt inclined to trust him for some reason. It was probably the pure fear and genuineness in Ravenpaw's wide eyes.

"What do we do?" Firepaw murmured. "Bluestar wouldn't believe us; we're just apprentices. She'd brush us off."

"I don't know, but I know that I can't be around him for much longer," Ravenpaw mewed. "He's gonna end up killing me!"

"Why would he do that?" Firepaw asked. "Did he see you?"

"I think he did after he and Lionheart finished chasing away the RiverClanners," Ravenpaw admitted. "He stared straight at the shrub I was hiding in, and he bared his teeth. Right after he looked away was when I fled and ran into camp."

"Maybe you could ask Bluestar if you could do your assessment early?" Firepaw offered.

Ravenpaw shook his dark head. "Too young and inexperienced. She'd just tell me to wait."

Firepaw sighed, "I don't know then. I want to help, but I don't know how I would."

"Thanks for trying," Ravenpaw mewed sadly. "I'll see Spottedleaf by myself. Just tell them whatever you said before."

Ravenpaw began walking again, this time without the fake limp. His head was hung low, and his tail dragged on the ground. Firepaw could sense how genuinely terrified his friend was of Tigerclaw, and how much he believed what he saw. _I need to do something_, he decided. _But what?_

When Firepaw returned to the hollow, he just meowed, "Spottedleaf asked to keep him."

"Nothing else was expected," Lionheart told him. "Stormpaw had only practiced the move once or twice before, so we worked with him on it a little. Perhaps you'd like to go up against him? You'll learn how to dodge the counter move."

Firepaw nodded, faking enthusiasm. When he looked at Tigerclaw, bile rose in his throat. He looked back on Redtail's horribly crushed, bloody corpse that wore a shocked expression. Was he surprised because of the boulders, or because he knew that Tigerclaw had pushed him?

"Well, let's get going," the tom himself ordered.

Firepaw got into a crouch, while Stormpaw playfully growled and bristled. "Come at me, tiny kittypet!"

Firepaw lashed his tail back and forth. "Watch who you're calling a kittypet, kittypet!"

Firepaw launched with his hind legs and landed square on Stormpaw's back. The ginger tabby clung on with both hind feet's claws, as well as a forepaw's. He bit the back of his neck and struck his flanks with the free paw. He quickly found himself having to hold on with all four sets of claws, however, when Stormpaw flipped over and began rolling on his back.

Firepaw desperately let go and tried getting up, coughing and closing his eyes to avoid the flying sand. He was squashed underneath the other tom's weight, unable to get out. Was this the counter that the two warriors had mentioned? If so, he could see why he needed to avoid it: this was a clear way to ruin an apprentice's chance at inflicting damage.

Stormpaw got up rather quickly and looked proudly down at Firepaw. Both toms' coats were a mess, fur sticking up, sand caught in between hairs. "Submit to me, puny apprentice!" Stormpaw ordered, lifting his chin.

"Enough, Stormpaw!" Tigerclaw growled. "No messing around. Firepaw, get up!"

Firepaw did so, and he shook his pelt free of sand. "How do I dodge that?" he asked.

"Well, you just let go and jump off right when you notice your opponent's back about to hit the ground," Lionheart replied. "Let's try again. Firepaw, try dodging and continuing the attack. You can strike your enemy's stomach while they try getting to their paws."

* * *

The rest of the lesson went… fine, Firepaw supposed. Perfectly fine, average, everything. It was a Gathering night, but he didn't get to go - obvious enough. The rest of the moon went by without anything special happening. All he could recall was finally catching a mouse. He'd never been prouder of himself.

One evening, Firepaw and Stormpaw were sharing tongues after a meal when Bluestar jumped onto Highrock and called a meeting. "Oh, the ceremony!" Stormpaw remembered.

"For Goldenflower's kits?" Firepaw guessed.

"Probably," Stormpaw nodded. "They're the only ones of age. Come on, let's join the crowd. Let's see how Clanborn cats are made apprentices." He flashed a grin and ran towards the gathering cats.

Firepaw followed excitedly. They sat next to Ravenpaw, who gave them a glance before looking back to their leader. The ginger tom watched as Goldenflower rapidly finished grooming one of the kits while Bluestar spoke.

"Everyone, this is a wonderful day for ThunderClan," Bluestar meowed. "Swiftkit and Lynxkit have reached the age of six moons, and so they both shall join our ranks as apprentices. You two, step forward."

Lynxkit, her flame lynx point fur well-groomed, ran up. Swiftkit, a mottled black-and-white tom, had to be encouraged with a nudge by Goldenflower to follow. Firepaw felt a wave of sympathy; the shy kit reminded him so much of Ravenpaw.

"Swiftkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Swiftpaw," Bluestar announced. "Longtail will mentor you. May he pass his swiftness and bravery onto you."

Longtail padded up to Swiftpaw. "Don't be afraid," he soothed quietly. "Being an apprentice will be fun! I'll make sure of it."

Firepaw felt a twinge of jealousy and resentment; of course Longtail would be kind to a Clanborn apprentice and not a former kittypet. Swiftpaw looked silently comforted, though, which calmed the tom. At least it had helped. Lynxkit looked up, excited to hear who her mentor would be.

"Lynxkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Lynxpaw," Bluestar went on. "You'll be mentored by Cherrysong. I look forward to seeing you inherit her kindness and energy."

The strangest thing happened. It was as if most of the crowd were holding their breath. Firepaw saw Lionheart frown sadly, and Mousefur scowled. Brindleface seemed as if she wanted to cringe. Tears came to Rosetail's eyes. Cherrysong didn't seem to notice any of these reactions as she approached her apprentice.

Both pairs of mentors and apprentices touched noses, and the crowd began cheering their names enthusiastically. Whatever had come over them had quickly left, which made Firepaw more confused than before.

The meeting was dismissed moments later. Longtail and Cherrysong led their new apprentices out of camp, side by side. Firepaw watched them before turning to Ravenpaw. Maybe his Clanborn friend would know?

"What came over the Clan when Cherrysong was announced as a mentor?" Firepaw asked.

"You noticed too?" Ravenpaw mewed. "I have no idea. Stormpaw?"

"I'm just as confused," Stormpaw sighed. "Maybe Lionheart knows. I'll ask him."

"I'll come too," Ravenpaw meowed. Both black-and-white cats approached the deputy.

Firepaw decided to go another place: the medicine den. He'd established a friendship with Spottedleaf, so surely she'd tell him if there _was_ something. He called for her when he entered. She emerged from her herb store.

"What is it?" Spottedleaf asked, a sharp anger lining her meow. "I'm busy."

"Did you see how everyone reacted weirdly to Cherrysong becoming a mentor?" Firepaw meowed. "I was just wondering if… if you knew why."

Spottedleaf looked at him for a very long time, her anger gradually melting. "I do. It happened a long time ago, and not even Cherrysong herself knows. You must keep this a secret."

"I promise." Firepaw could only wonder what required such secrecy. How bad could it be?

After hearing the answer, he understood.


	9. Chapter 8

Firepaw felt the familiar taste of copper wash over his mouth as he bit the spine of his prey. The sparrow's eyes were black and dull. Lifeless. He closed his eyes briefly. _Thank you, StarClan, for this prey._ He opened them.

"Nice catch!" Stormpaw meowed, running over. "How much were _you_ told to get?"

Lionheart and Tigerclaw had decided to assess the three apprentices in their hunting skills. They were all separated and weren't supposed to communicate, but Firepaw supposed he might as well respond.

"Four," Firepaw replied. "Weren't you?"

"Yeah. How many have you got so far?"

"This is my second one."

"Lucky," Stormpaw mewed. "I keep missing my catches. I only got one. Just a tiny mouse." He kicked up some dirt with a hind paw.

"Then shouldn't you be concentrating more to make up for your losses?" Firepaw asked. "I thought even _you_ would be taking an assessment seriously."

"I am!" Stormpaw insisted, suddenly raising his voice angrily.

Firepaw lowered his ears, taken aback. "Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you."

Stormpaw sighed, "I shouldn't have reacted like that. _I'm_ sorry."

"That's okay." Firepaw adopted a concerned tone. "Is everything alright?"

Stormpaw nodded, averting his gaze. "I'm gonna keep hunting. Good luck."

Firepaw opened his mouth to ask something else, but Stormpaw had already sped off between the oaks and undergrowth. The ginger tabby looked after him for a moment, then scraped dirt over his sparrow. He moved onto another part of the forest, knowing that Stormpaw would've scared any prey off.

Concern for his friend remained in his mind. As he walked through the forest, he couldn't shake the feeling that he should've tried harder to understand what was wrong. He was hardly thinking about prey in the midst of his concern. This caused him to miss multiple potential catches when he tried to catch them.

Firepaw had eventually come to the Thunderpath. A bright red monster sped by as he looked across. After it was long gone, the apprentice realized something: the strangely strong stench of ShadowClan wasn't from extra markers.

There was a trespasser.

Firepaw followed the scent trail, padding lightly. He searched his mind for the knowledge he'd learned about scents. It wasn't harsh, especially for a ShadowClan warrior. That meant it belonged to a she-cat.

He soon came across said she-cat. He looked at her from afar. She had dirty, matted gray fur and a wide, flat muzzle. Her eyes were closed, and she snored loudly. He approached her confidently. _I'm really chasing away an enemy warrior. Wait until Stormpaw hears!_

One of two orange eyes opened up to him. She sat up and opened both. "Why, look what we have," she purred. "A tough little kittypet!" Her tail curled with amusement.

Firepaw's eyes widened, and he bristled slightly. Could she still smell Twolegs on him? "I'm a loyal apprentice of ThunderClan! You're trespassing on my territory."

It was obvious that she could tell she'd hit a nerve. "Well, it seems the rumors about ThunderClan are true," she smirked. "They really _are_ desperate enough to take in outsiders!"

"ThunderClan aren't desperate!" Firepaw growled. "We're doing just fine, thank you. Now you have to leave."

"Oh, is that so?" the ShadowClan cat asked. "That's a shame, little kittypet warrior. I intend to stay. I haven't even gotten to hunt! I think I'll stick around, _thank you_." She smiled a little wider.

Firepaw bristled more, trying to appear threatening. "Then I'll have to force you."

"I look forward to it," she told him casually. "Say, what's wrong? You seem upset."

"I don't like enemy warriors trespassing on my territory," Firepaw growled, fully aware of her mocking tone. "Final warning: leave."

She huffed and clambered to her paws. She towered over him, making him feel intimidated - not like he'd admit to it, of course. He boldly stared up at her with a hard green gaze.

"Well? Are you going? Or do I have to make you?"

She smiled teasingly. "You're very cute. I doubt you'd be able to make me, kitty, but I suppose my curiosity is too much. I just _have_ to see for myself."

With that, she raised a forepaw and struck him with her claws. Firepaw yowled and pounced on her, surprised that he got a grip on her matted coat. He only got a few strikes in before she showed signs of flipping onto her back.

Right before she hit the ground, Firepaw hopped off and went for her now vulnerable stomach. As soon as he was in reach of it, she gripped him and switched the tide by pinning him down. She struck him multiple times.

Firepaw suddenly remembered the trick he'd used on Longtail. He slowed his breathing and laid still, closing his eyes. The she-cat stopped, and he could tell that she was contemplating on what to do next.

She yowled triumphantly, taking his stillness as submission. While she was celebrating, Firepaw attacked her and tried jumping on her again. Her surprise caused her to crumple underneath him. He saw a foreleg bend oddly as she fell to the ground. He rapidly scrambled off.

"I'm sorry!" Firepaw told her, his tough attitude falling to reveal sympathy. "I just wanted to chase you off. Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm not!" she growled. She tried standing, just to fall back down again.

"What's your name?" Firepaw asked calmly, hoping to lower her hostility so that she could accept help. It was wrong for him to pick a fight with a cat who looked so close to retirement.

"Yellowfang," she hissed. "Why's it matter, kittypet?"

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Yellowfang," he genuinely apologized. "Will you come back to camp with me? I can get you help from our medicine cat." He knew he'd be punished for trying to assist an enemy warrior, but he didn't care.

"No thanks!" Yellowfang huffed. "I don't need your help."

"Firepaw!" Lionheart meowed, jumping out from some undergrowth. "If I were watching you, I'd stop the fight before it began. However, I only just now arrived." He looked at Yellowfang. "Is ShadowClan in danger?"

Yellowfang murmured something.

"Louder?" Lionheart raised a brow.

"No, everything's fine," she hissed. "I've just decided to go my own way, that's all. Runningnose will be a fine replacement, so my loss won't be felt."

"What are you talking about?" Firepaw asked.

Lionheart looked down at the apprentice. "Yellowfang is - er, _was_ ShadowClan's medicine cat." He turned back to her. "Come back to camp, and Spottedleaf will treat you. It's the least we could do to make up for your injuries."

"She _was_ trespassing," Firepaw pointed out, although he agreed that she deserved treatment.

"We don't assert order through violence," Lionheart told him.

"I suppose a short visit is fine," Yellowfang sighed.

"I'll help you there," Lionheart meowed. "Firepaw, keep hunting until you have four pieces."

The two padded off, Yellowfang begrudgingly accepting support from Lionheart on the side with her bad leg. Firepaw watched until they were no longer visible, then began hunting again. He missed a few catches, but it wasn't long before he had another two.

"Go back to camp," Tigerclaw ordered, stepping out from where he'd watched him kill his final catch. "Do your duties. Ravenpaw is already there."

Firepaw nodded proudly. He carried his two mice by the tails, and he stuffed the two birds between his chin and chest. When he entered camp, he dropped the pieces on the fresh-kill pile. It looked as if the three apprentices alone would be providing most of the sunhigh meal. He snatched a gray squirrel that Ravenpaw must've caught.

"I hope that's for us," Frostfur meowed from where she lay in front of the nursery. "Cinderkit and Brackenkit are hungry."

"I love squirrel!" Cinderkit piped up.

"We don't have to eat meat yet, do we?" Thornkit asked.

"No," Firepaw answered for the queen as he set the squirrel down. "You and Brightkit aren't as big as Brackenkit and Cinderkit."

Brightkit sighed grumpily. "But it looks so good! Maybe just a little bite, Frostfur?" Her green eyes pleadingly stared up at her mother.

"Go play with Thornkit," Frostfur meowed without answering. "You two can nurse after I eat."

Brightkit lashed her tail, pouting. Thornkit pounced on her, catching her attention, and she chased him to the other side of camp. Cinderkit looked up at Firepaw again before joining Frostfur and Brackenkit for the meal. The ginger tabby went inside.

"Speckletail, do you want something?" he asked the tan tabby. She was easily the oldest cat in ThunderClan, yet she permanently resided in the nursery instead of retiring.

Speckletail opened an amber eye, her gentle snoring halting. "Get me a mouse," she requested sleepily.

Firepaw nodded and spoke before backing out, "Stormpaw will be in soon to clean your nests."

The apprentices had set up a system to deal with duties. Today Dustpaw and Sandpaw were off, while Stormpaw and Firepaw dealt with the nursery. Ravenpaw, Lynxpaw, Graypaw, and Swiftpaw would do the elders' den. The elders always required the most paws, since they needed more than the queens.

Firepaw chose the plumpest mouse from the pile, one that he'd caught, and he delivered it right to the spotted tabby. "There you are! Any ticks?" Whenever it was his turn to help with the nursery, he always offered; she was hardly different from the elders.

"Just one on my back," Speckletail mumbled. "Thanks."

Firepaw noticed that the oldest cats always treated him and Stormpaw nicely, most of the time. He figured that it was nothing but pity because they were outcast from everyone else. It made him feel like a kit. He didn't want sympathy; he wanted respect.

Firepaw crouched and parted her fur until he found the tick, black and round and still attached to her skin. _Hopefully I won't have to get bile for this…_ he thought, carefully testing by gently tugging it with his teeth. Luckily, it let go easier than thought. He squeezed it between his teeth, killing it.

Firepaw left the den, letting the old queen eat. When he exited, he saw Lynxpaw watching as Graypaw and Swiftpaw play-fought. Ravenpaw silently observed from the stump, chewing on a bit of a magpie. The ginger tom ran over to the fresh-kill pile and selected a robin, then joined his friend.

**this dumb app won't let me publish a longer chapter than this so this will be two parts. check back tomorrow morning about 7 eastern standard.**


	10. Chapter 8 pt2

"Elders are taken care of?" Firepaw asked, taking a big bite of his prey.

Ravenpaw nodded, swallowing. "Stormpaw isn't done? I thought you two would be finished at the same time."

Firepaw shook his head. "Where are Sandpaw and Dustpaw?"

"Training still. Probably battle." Ravenpaw shrugged. "Maybe Lionheart will take you and Stormpaw out again later."

"You don't think Tigerclaw will train more with you today?" Firepaw asked.

"Doubt it. Now that I'm close to my warrior assessment, he'll want to spend as little time as possible with me. I'm sure he'll be glad to see me gone."

"You finished first with hunting," Firepaw meowed. "Maybe he just thinks you've mastered everything he has to teach you?"

Ravenpaw opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by Spottedleaf walking over. "Bluestar has asked to see you, Firepaw."

"But I'm eating," the striped apprentice pointed out, motioning to his bird.

"Take it with you." Spottedleaf smiled at him before turning and heading back to her den.

Firepaw looked at Ravenpaw quizzically before grabbing his meal and running to the leader's den. He mewed wordlessly around the fresh-kill, getting a "Come in." He did so, seeing Bluestar looking at him.

"Sit and eat while we talk," she told him.

Firepaw was mystified by the rare chance of speaking directly to the Clan leader, but he nodded and did as he was told. As he was taking a bite, never taking his eyes away from her, she began to speak again.

"I understand that although you did wrong by attacking Yellowfang, she striked first and so you won't be punished," Bluestar meowed. "However, you still offered help without permission. Understand that even though we treated her by our own decision, you can't make promises that you might not be able to keep."

"I'm sorry," Firepaw told her earnestly. Yet he was a little confused; why would she send for him just to issue a warning? Lionheart himself could do that.

"You're forgiven. Don't repeat your mistakes. Learn from them." She lowered her chin slightly. "As you've probably guessed by now, there's something else I wish to tell you. I've decided on your mentor."

Firepaw's eyes grew wide. "Who?" he asked excitedly.

Bluestar curled her tail around her paws. "Me. You're my apprentice. I've already informed Lionheart."

Firepaw could hardly believe it. From what Ravenpaw had said, leaders _never_ took on the role of mentoring. "But aren't you too busy?"

"Not too busy to mentor one of ThunderClan's young," Bluestar told him.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't being told something, but he was too ecstatic to care. "Thank you, Bluestar!" he meowed.

"You're welcome. Finish eating at the stump, and I'll take you out after. There's still enough sunlight left for a session."

Firepaw grabbed his prey and strutted back to the stump. He set the robin down, but he was too excited to eat. Bluestar was his mentor! He still couldn't believe it.

"What's wrong?" Ravenpaw asked, mistaking his feelings for anxiety.

"I'm Bluestar's apprentice!" Firepaw meowed, hardly able to hold back.

"That's really weird," Ravenpaw mewed quietly. "You don't think it's because of something bad, do you?"

"Definitely not. It's just because she decided on herself, that's all."

Ravenpaw 'hm'ed softly. The rest of the meal was silent. Firepaw eagerly ran to Bluestar's den after finishing. Before he could enter, Spottedleaf ran up to him.

"Not yet, Firepaw," she told him. "With me, please."

The sweet smell of herbs on her pelt **(sorry Lauren)** reminded him of his wounds. With everything else going on, they just faded into unimportance. He felt a little proud at that; he was learning to bear pain! He was finally past his kittypet days truly.

Firepaw followed right at her dappled side to the medicine den. He sat down, eager to spend time with her - even if it was brief. He held perfectly still as she cleaned his wounds and applied a poultice, refusing to acknowledge the painful stinging. He hoped that she noticed his newfound tolerance.

"I can't wait for the Gathering!" he meowed. "Do you think I'll get to go?"

"I don't know, but I think you probably will," Spottedleaf replied. "How's your training been going?"

"Fun! I did an assessment today. I caught a lot of prey!" He puffed out his chest.

Spottedleaf purred, "Well done! I remember Willowpelt and Redtail's first assessment. They caught lots of prey too. Do you like hunting?"

Firepaw noticed how Spottedleaf always spoke like she was interacting with a kit. Despite his annoyance with others when they did this to him, he liked it when she did it. He often thought about how she was his only maternal figure that he could remember. She treated him like the son she'd never had.

Firepaw nodded. "I really like fighting too. Hurting Yellowfang made me feel bad, though. How's she doing?"

"Fine," Spottedleaf responded. "She's asleep right now. Actually, that brings me to something I wanted to ask you. Will you be her caretaker? She's basically an elder, so she'll need to be treated as such while she's with us."

"Can't she just go live with the elders and be taken care of with them?" Firepaw asked, hesitant to take on the responsibility. He liked having the free time that he did; Yellowfang would take that away.

Spottedleaf sighed, "Very well. I'll take care of her myself." She finished up with his wounds. "You're good to go. Remind Bluestar that I said to go easy on you, alright? You don't want those rubbing off."

Firepaw nodded and left the den, heading for where Bluestar sat talking with Frostfur. However, a sudden stab of guilt made him pause. Why had he refused the care of Yellowfang? He'd been selfish, and he knew that being a warrior meant doing good things even if it hindered you.

But even so, he was given a choice. It wasn't an order. He had the right to decline. Besides, Spottedleaf immediately took up the responsibility when he refused. All would be fine. He shook the former ShadowClan cat from his mind and continued on to Bluestar.

Bluestar noticed him and left the white queen. "I'm going to briefly assess you on your battle knowledge. Lionheart and Tigerclaw will tell me of your hunting results from today. By tomorrow I will have an ideal training plan for you."

Firepaw nodded. "Okay. Oh, and Spottedleaf said to go easy on me. Because the poultice. And stuff." Her blue gaze made him stumble slightly over his words. Something about just her presence was intimidating and powerful. Would he ever be comfortable around her like he was Lionheart?

Bluestar acknowledged his words with nothing but an ear flick. She walked past him and began leaving camp. Firepaw followed quickly at her tail. _Maybe this isn't nearly as exciting as I thought_, he considered, not looking forward to her cold formality that he would have to face.


	11. Chapter 9

Firepaw stretched awake in the sunlight. He had grown fond of sleeping outside over the time he'd spent in the Clan, and he found himself rarely sleeping in his nest. It was the morning after Yellowfang's arrival, but Bluestar surprisingly had yet to make an announcement concerning her. He instinctively searched for Lionheart, and he ran up to him.

"Runningwind, take your apprentice and two other warriors hunting," Lionheart ordered. "Darkstripe, can you take Brindleface and Graypaw patrolling on the ShadowClan border?"

"Sure thing," Darkstripe mewed as Runningwind went into the apprentices' den to fetch Dustpaw.

"Can I lead the RiverClan border patrol?" Cherrysong asked from where she sat beside Lynxpaw.

Lionheart nodded. "Take Longtail, Swiftpaw, and Mousefur."

"But Mousefur's asleep," Swiftpaw mewed.

"Then go wake her up," Longtail told his apprentice.

Lionheart finally looked down at Firepaw. "Do you need something, Firepaw?"

"What're we doing today?" Firepaw inquired.

"Stormpaw and I will be working on his hunting," Lionheart replied. "I don't know what Bluestar has planned for you, though."

Firepaw frowned. "Oh yeah." He'd forgotten that he would mostly be training by himself and his new mentor now.

Lionheart offered a small smile. "Don't be upset. We'll probably train together another day. I'll ask Bluestar what she thinks about battle practice tomorrow."

Firepaw perked up. "Thank you, Lionheart!"

"You don't always need to wake up this early, you know," Lionheart commented. "Not even half the Clan has risen yet."

"I like to." The smaller tom shrugged.

"Bluestar might not wake for a short time," the deputy meowed. "Why don't you check up on Yellowfang? You're her caretaker, after all."

Firepaw's eyes widened with surprise. "No, I'm not!"

"Bluestar wants you to be. She says it'll help you build responsibility." Lionheart gave him an apologetic glance before putting his sights on the apprentices' den. "Have a good day." He walked past him and into the den.

Firepaw huffed with annoyance before entering the medicine den. "Morning," he greeted Spottedleaf, who was going through her herb store.

"Good morning," Spottedleaf returned. "Sorry, but Bluestar put you in charge of Yellowfang anyway."

"I already know."

"Oh, alright. Are you here for her?" Spottedleaf motioned to a nest with a large lump of dark gray fur inside. "She's asleep. You could fetch her something from last night and check her over for ticks."

Firepaw inwardly cringed at the thought of doing extra duties each day. A part of him couldn't wait for Yellowfang to be gone, but he reminded himself yet again that this was a good deed and that she deserved care while she was with them. However, he still found it hard to get enthusiastic about her.

He ducked out of the den and quickly returned with a tan mouse. He dropped it at the foot of Yellowfang's nest, then shook her awake. Her snoring halted in a sudden snort before she stretched and opened her dark eyes. Her tail curled up in amusement at the sight of him.

"Ah, the kittypet warrior!" she purred teasingly. "I heard that you're my _caretaker_. I don't see why all of the apprentices together couldn't do the job, but I guess I understand toughening outsiders up especially more so than others."

Firepaw didn't show his hurt. "I brought you this mouse," he told her. "It's probably pretty stale, but I still think it'll taste good. The hunting patrols for dawn and sunhigh will bring warm, fresh stuff. But I'd say eat this for now anyway."

Yellowfang sniffed the mouse. "Smells good enough to me," she decided. She looked up at him. "Not trying to poison me, are you, kit?"

"I'm not a kit," he meowed calmly. "And no, it's okay. Warriors only kill if necessary for self-defense. I don't think you'll hurt me too bad, so the mouse is fine."

She narrowed her eyes at him. She lashed her tail slightly, but not out of anger or annoyance. "You know, there's two ShadowClan members who used to live in the Twolegplace," she informed him, her snarky mood suddenly turning solemn. "After their apprenticeships, they ended up being great warriors. Ever Brokenstar himself has kittypet blood. I think that you'll do okay as long as you dedicate yourself."

Firepaw was surprised at her honest… compliment? Was that what it was? "Thank you," he mewed.

Yellowfang hissed as she picked up the mouse with a single claw and grimaced at it. She waved it around. "StarClan's sake, I can already tell this is stale!" she complained. "You couldn't have gotten a better one?" She let it drop to the den floor with a quiet thud.

"It was the best I could find from the pile," Firepaw sighed, his annoyance returning slightly. "I have to go train with Bluestar soon, so just hurry and tell me what else you need. You need your pelt checked for ticks?"

"I'm not an elder," she told him grumpily. "I can get my own ticks off."

"Well, then goodbye," he meowed, turning away from her. He looked sideways over at Spottedleaf, who seemed to be busy in her store. He decided not to bother her, instead heading out.

Camp was practically empty, except for Rosetail stretching in front of the elders' den and Frostfur's older litter chasing each other. Firepaw sat and began grooming himself, watching them. Suddenly, Bluestar emerged from her den and he jumped to his paws once more to approach her.

"G-good morning, Bluestar," he stuttered, still quite shy in spite of their mini training session the evening before.

Bluestar nodded. "Good morning, Firepaw. Lionheart and Tigerclaw both reported to me that you did well on your hunting assessment yesterday, so perhaps we'll start with that."

"I would like to learn to hunt rabbits," Firepaw told her quietly, feeling quite embarrassed. "I know that it's really weird 'cause only WindClan cats hunt those, but the forest gets rabbits too! Maybe I could learn to hunt them in case I ever saw one?"

Bluestar seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "I will teach you the way to hunt rabbits today then. Lionheart did say you know how to hunt mice and birds. While I was planning to broaden your knowledge of those ways first, I suppose rabbits wouldn't hurt to try."

She began walking out of camp. Firepaw followed at her tail. She stood so tall and often so did he, yet when around her he found himself slouching with his shoulder blades aligning perfectly with his fluffy ginger cheeks. Willowpelt on guard at the entrance, noticing this, flashed him a sleepy yet encouraging smile. He smiled back at the molly as he passed her.

There was silence in their walk. Firepaw felt an urge to break it, yet his shyness and feelings of inferiority kept him from doing so. Bluestar seemed more eager to make the move. Without looking back at him, she began to speak.

"You're doing well for a new member. You may be discriminated against, but I personally can't understand it. Lionheart spoke of how far you pushed yourself during your first few hunting lessons because you felt determined to help with prey and not be a burden. Yet you were a new apprentice, correct?" She turned her head slightly. "Any new Clanborn apprentice would be given patience when learning to hunt. Former outsiders aren't given that luxury."

"Lionheart was very nice to me," Firepaw meowed. "He kept telling me to slow down 'cause I wasn't doing it right. Tigerclaw liked to rush me."

"Don't think too much of Tigerclaw," Bluestar encouraged, looking ahead again. "He only wants the best for ThunderClan. He's harsh even on Clanborn cats. You're like any other apprentice to him. He even told me that he was proud of your progress."

"He did?" the ginger tabby mewed.

Firepaw didn't want to admit it, especially knowing that the brown tabby warrior was Redtail's true killer, but he wanted to impress him from the very beginning. He seemed to have great influence in the Clan, and good words spoken about Firepaw could be a boost to his currently poor reputation as a lazy kittypet.

"Of course. Just because he's strict doesn't mean that he doesn't care for his apprentices."

Firepaw shrugged. "I guess that's true."

He remembered something he wanted to ask, but it was as if his mouth suddenly dried up. He couldn't find the words he wanted. Before he got a chance to speak, they stopped. They seemed to be near Sunningrocks, while still being safely concealed in the oaks.

"Rabbit hunting is different than hunting mice or birds. Can you tell me why?"

* * *

_A squirrel. That's all I caught._

His copper eyes were averted to the ground, his mottled shoulders slumped with shame. Beside him, Lionheart walked while carrying three mice by their tails. The warrior looked down at the younger cat.

"Stormpaw, you did fine," Lionheart assured him. "Look at that squirrel! It's almost as big as you."

"Thanks," Stormpaw murmured, his voice muffled and mostly inaudible through his single catch. His heart raced._ A squirrel. One._

They arrived at camp, and Stormpaw headed to the nursery. It was his job to feed them today. Brindleface was pregnant but not far enough to move in, so it was just Frostfur and Speckletail. Frostfur was awake, curled in her nest, while watching her four kits play moss ball. Speckletail slept, breathing softly.

"Here y'all are!" Stormpaw meowed peppily. He dropped the squirrel.

"Squirrel!" the kits squealed, all working together to carry it to Frostfur.

"Well done!" the fluffy white queen purred. "Thornkit, Brightkit, I was thinking that you two could try meat today."

Stormpaw exited and got a sparrow from the pile for Speckletail. He placed it in front of her, then shook her awake. "Wakey wakey!" he mewed.

She opened her amber eyes groggily. "Dawn already?"

"No, it's past sunhigh," he corrected. "Thank StarClan it's not dawn! I'd rather be in my nest." He purred with laughter.

She stretched her forelegs out in front of her. "Oh, I'm sure. Thanks for the prey."

Stormpaw nodded. "You're welcome. Dustpaw will be in to clean your nests shortly, ladies, so just be a little patient!"

He exited the den, hearing Frostfur tell Speckletail, "Such an energetic apprentice. Cats like him make me feel good about the new generation."

Stormpaw frowned. The smile hurt to uphold for so long, and he knew that the purr sounded so clearly forced. He was convinced that Frostfur intended for him to hear her comment and feel good about himself, so he paid no mind to it. He looked around camp. Firepaw sat talking with Ravenpaw. They were sharing a rabbit. Firepaw was talking animatedly, while Ravenpaw nodded slowly to show he was listening.

_I don't have to bother them_, Stormpaw thought._ I can just go get some prey and eat it in the den._ Yet when he looked at the fresh-kill pile, no appetite arose in him. He tried not to show the weariness he felt in his limbs. _I can just… go rest._ He shook his head.

"Lazy," he spat to himself underneath his breath.

"Excuse me?" Dustpaw hissed as he was walking past him into the nursery.

"N-not you!" Stormpaw meowed, panic filling him. _Oh, StarClan, not now._ Another thought interrupted that one. _StarClan? You're a kittypet. Don't pretend like you actually care about th-_

Dustpaw huffed, unaware of Stormpaw's internal argument. "Better not be, filthy kittypet." He turned his head and continued on his way.

Stormpaw stared after him for but a moment, then focused his attention on Firepaw and Ravenpaw. He took a silent breath. _They're my friends. They don't care if I join them._ He forced his paws forward.

"Hey!" Firepaw greeted him when he noticed him coming over.

"I heard you failed your assessment yesterday," Ravenpaw mewed quietly. "I'm really sorry to hear that. I mean, I'm sure you'll do better next time. You're a fast learner."

Stormpaw had to refocus his mind. Tears definitely didn't want to come, but he felt an even stronger wave of sadness and disappointment in himself wash over him. He hid this well, however, and simply grinned. "Big deal! I'll do good next time."

"Yeah, you will!" Firepaw meowed encouragingly. "You wanna help us with this rabbit? There will probably be some left."

Stormpaw shook his head as he took a seat beside Ravenpaw. "Not that hungry right now." Then he realized. "You know how to hunt them?"

"Yeah! Bluestar taught me today, and we happened to come across one during the lesson. I even caught it! Isn't that cool?"

Stormpaw forced a smile. _Be supportive_, he told himself. "Definitely! You should teach me sometime."

"Totally!" Firepaw agreed. "Oh, guess what? Bluestar said I could go to the Gathering tonight! She's supposed to announce the full list soon, right? Maybe you'll go too!"

Stormpaw had never felt less excited about something, and yet he still felt a twinge of jealousy strike his chest. "Bet I will. I'm the best apprentice here! Besides you two, of course."

Ravenpaw smiled slightly. "I think I might get to go too. It would be nice for all three of us to attend. I worked especially hard during training today just so that I have a chance."

As the two began talking again, Stormpaw found himself feeling ignored. He knew that both cats included him, but he still felt out of place. _They're only doing it out of necessity._ He got to his paws and excused himself to the dirtplace, then looked around. No one was there with him.

Stormpaw took multiple heavy breaths, digging his claws into the dirt. He let himself break down, yet his body refused to cry. He couldn't even produce a puny whimper. He just stood, staring at nothing, his eyes out of focus. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

_Should've stayed a kittypet. Should've stayed a kittypet._


	12. Chapter 10

**NOTE: This is an updated chapter. The previous version has been forever erased. Trust me, new readers, you'll be glad I replaced it.**

Firepaw ran as fast as he could. The news he'd heard at the Gathering had shocked him, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was true. Brokenstar, the flat-faced leader of ShadowClan, claimed that Yellowfang was exiled for murdering kits. He decided that he'd leave ahead of everyone else and try getting the truth out of her peacefully. He arrived in camp and dashed into the medicine den, where Yellowfang lay in her nest.

"Hey, wake up!" he whisper-shouted.

Yellowfang opened her eyes. "What is it? I'm trying to sleep."

"Brokenstar says you killed kits," he told her. "That's why you're exiled."

Yellowfang's eyes narrowed in a scowl. "Lying fox-heart!" She sat up completely. With pure seriousness and sincerity, she meowed, "Firepaw, I didn't kill those kits. _He_ did. He's just trying to blame it on me so that he gets away with it."

"Why would he kill kits? He's a leader!" His confusion showed through his wide gaze and tilted head.

Yellowfang didn't reply. Moments of silence later, multiple pawsteps could be heard rumbling into camp. Lionheart entered the den. The gray she-cat sighed and climbed out of the nest. She balanced oddly, having to hover her bad leg over the ground.

"Look, I'm innocent," she growled, unsheathing her claws. "I'll leave if you all don't believe me, but none of you are laying a single paw on me."

Lionheart lowered his muzzle to make more earnest eye contact. "We aren't making any decisions about our level of belief in Brokenstar's words right this moment. We know he's a cruel and brutal cat who could easily be lying, but you've clearly kept things from us that are well explained by his accusation."

"What motive would I have to kill my own siblings?" Yellowfang hissed. "I cared for each and every cat in ShadowClan as if they were my own offspring! Never in a thousand moons would I take a life, not even in self-defense. When I left the life of a warrior, I left the usage of my claws behind as well. I loved those kits, and I was devastated to hear of their murder. You all have to understand that it wasn't me who did it."

Lionheart nodded slowly. "I hear you, Yellowfang. Just come with me to the Clan meeting Bluestar's called. She'll make the final decision on whether or not you're to stay."

As Firepaw followed Lionheart and Yellowfang out of the medicine den, he felt his emotions conflicting. He wanted to support whatever decision Bluestar came to, yet he could feel a certain trust for Yellowfang within him that made him positive she was being honest. What would he do if she were to be chased away? He'd only known her for a few days, but he could tell that she wasn't a bad cat.

Firepaw took his seat in between Ravenpaw and Stormpaw, who had both come with him to the Gathering. The excitement he'd experienced had been washed away by the cruel, bold claim of Brokenstar. He felt his teeth bare at the thought of him. His instincts told him that the dark tabby leader couldn't be trusted, no matter what. Perhaps it was the stink of ShadowClan on his pelt. Or more likely, it was the clear lies he'd spoken.

"Yellowfang, you're called to testify against the accusation that Brokenstar presented at tonight's Gathering," Bluestar announced as Yellowfang stood before Highrock. Lionheart took his place beneath it, staring ahead with no visible emotion.

"The accusation that I'm a kit-killer?" Yellowfang huffed angrily. Her tail lashed from side to side.

"Correct. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty!" Yellowfang spat. "I didn't kill those kits. Never have, never _will_ murder kits!"

Bluestar stood even taller. "Explain his accusation then. What motive is there for him to outcast you from your Clan, then lie?"

Yellowfang remained silent for a long time before answering quietly, "I have reason to believe that Brokenstar wanted me out for other reasons."

"Elaborate," Bluestar ordered.

"He thought that I threatened his role as leader," Yellowfang mewed simply. "That's all I'm willing to say."

"If you won't be transparent, then you have less of a chance of being allowed to stay," Bluestar warned.

Firepaw turned to Ravenpaw while they continued talking in front of the Clan. "What's going on?" he whispered.

"A trial," Ravenpaw responded just as quietly. "Whenever a cat does something wrong that's against the warrior code, they have to participate in one with the entire Clan as witness. I don't think other Clans do this, but it's an ingrained part of our culture. I remember right after Longtail's warrior assessment, it was gotten out that he ate prey as an apprentice before duties."

"So he got one?"

"Yeah. It was really short, though, since it wasn't all too serious and was in newleaf. He was declared guilty and given a moon of apprentice duties as punishment."

"Hush!" Mousefur hissed from in front of them.

Firepaw's ears lowered, embarrassed. "Sorry, Mousefur," he whispered to the warrior.

"Yellowfang, I insist that you broaden your point," Bluestar meowed, clearly having been trying this for the entire time Ravenpaw and Firepaw had been talking. "If not, you'll have to leave us - leave Clan life completely! We're the only Clan to do these trials; no other would even give you a chance after hearing Brokenstar. If you don't work with us, you'll be exiled."

"You are in my debt!" Yellowfang hissed. "You can't throw me out while I'm still injured. Your puny kittypet apprentice attacked me!"

"You were trespassing," Bluestar retorted calmly. "Firepaw had every right to withdraw his claws. We let you stay because you claimed that you'd left ShadowClan, not that you'd been exiled."

Yellowfang visibly fumed at Bluestar's words. She was silent for a long while. "Can't we do this in the morning?" she asked eventually. "Why keep all of these cats awake for no reason?"

"This isn't 'no reason', Yellowfang," Bluestar meowed. "These are serious accusations. For the sake of everyone's safety, we must delve into this issue immediately no matter the time. Now if you will, explain what you mean. Why would Brokenstar think you threaten his position?"

Yellowfang's orange eyes were averted to the ground. Silence wasn't broken for what seemed to be moons, and Firepaw wished she'd just say something; the thought of her being declared guilty was too much for him to bear. Luckily, she spoke.

"No one knows this, but Brokenstar more than likely knows that I found out," Yellowfang replied. "Raggedstar's second deputy, Cloudpelt, died in a WindClan border skirmish. Brokentail was the warrior to find evidence of eaten prey within our borders, which began the fight in the first place. Cloudpelt led the patrol, as deputy.

"Brokentail went too, since he'd found the evidence. But when I was trying to treat Cloudpelt, only to fail, he told me something. He knew he was dying, and he wanted to use his last moments to tell me the cat who had taken his life. Brokentail was the name he told me. I informed Raggedstar immediately after he passed, but he refused to believe that his son killed a Clanmate.

"Raggedstar informed me a while after Brokentail became deputy, in which he'd used his influence to force cruel punishments upon apprentices and start unfair battles against WindClan, that he believed me and wanted to replace Brokentail as deputy. He never got a chance, 'cause he spoke to Brokentail about his behavior first in hopes he'd change. Brokentail may have been told about my accusation and that I was the cat to say it, because he gave me looks that implied he knew. The next day, Raggedstar was dead."

The Clan was in awed shock from hearing this. Brokenstar was cruel and some would even go as far to claim downright evil, but any cat killing their Clanmate to further themselves was unthinkable to them. Firepaw envied them, cringing as he remembered the terrible, awful secret he kept. Ravenpaw beside him wore a pained expression, as if he'd been struck across the face.

"Thank you for telling us this, Yellowfang," Bluestar meowed to her. "I'm sure it must've been difficult revealing what you say to be the truth about Brokenstar. While it's certainly believable, you could be making this up just to get off scot-free from murdering kits."

"Bluestar, look me in the eyes and try telling me that you think of me as a murderer," Yellowfang mewed determinedly. "He killed those kits by being too rough with them in training. His framing act turned even my mother and littermates against me. My father and apprentice were the only ones to beg Brokenstar not to exile me.

"I was grief-stricken by the deaths. Marigoldkit and Mintkit were my little sisters. I cared for them as my own kits whenever my mother needed a break and wanted to leave camp. After I was exiled, I cried and cried for so long at all I'd lost!" Her voice had risen to a shout by this point as she finished her rant off with, "I can't imagine wanting to harm kits. They've just begun to live! Why should _anyone_ take a kit's life?!"

Bluestar nodded and spoke slowly and calmly. "Of course. I trust your word, Yellowfang, but my opinion is not the only one that matters." The volume of her voice raised as she directly addressed the crowd. "ThunderClan, we will now take a vote! Remain seating if you want to exile Yellowfang, and stand if you want to keep her - even temporarily."

Firepaw stood immediately, and he felt Ravenpaw's soft black pelt brush his flank as he followed. He saw Whitestorm, Spottedleaf, Willowpelt, Stormpaw, Lionheart, Goldenflower, Frostfur, Brindleface, Cherrysong, and Lynxpaw stand. After a few moments, Runningwind, half of the elders, and surprisingly Tigerclaw followed. Graypaw looked at Darkstripe, who huffed while sitting proudly, and got to his paws with what seemed to be fear in his eyes.

"Then it's settled," Bluestar announced. "Yellowfang, you've been declared not guilty by the majority of ThunderClan! You may stay with us until you're healed, and you may earn full citizenship afterward if you so wish."

Yellowfang's mouth was open, and her round eyes were wide. "You actually let me stay," she breathed, laughing - not from humor, but from disbelief. "I heard so many ShadowClanners call this trial thing you all do toad-brained, and I believed them! Little did I know it'd basically save my life one day. Thank you, Bluestar."

Bluestar smiled down at her. "You're welcome, Yellowfang. I hope all will serve you with the respect and loyalty they show Spottedleaf. Firepaw, of course, will continue being your caretaker while you're recovering. If you want to make your stay permanent, don't hesitate to discuss it with Lionheart and I."

"And what do we do when ShadowClan inevitably finds out we're sheltering her?" Longtail boldly asked from his place beside Swiftpaw and Darkstripe.

"We defend ourselves and her," Bluestar replied. "And when the time is right, we reveal the truth that's been told. For the time being, however, not a single one of you is to discuss this matter outside of camp. We can't be too safe. We must get the timing correct to tell it."

And with that, she jumped from Highrock and silently dismissed the meeting. Everyone rushed to their nests, exhausted from either the Gathering or being awoken to come to the trial. Firepaw, however, sought out Yellowfang. He noticed that Stormpaw, despite his droopy copper eyes, tagged along. Ravenpaw simply stared after and retreated into the den.

Yellowfang stopped padding to the medicine den when she saw them approach. "What? Can't a cat get some rest?" Even her grumpy tone didn't sound fully upset; she was too overwhelmed with relief and happiness.

"I just wanted to say, I'm glad you're staying with us," Firepaw mewed, giving her a wide grin. "I wanted to vouch for you, but I also didn't want to interrupt. I'm sorry about what happened back at ShadowClan."

She shook her head. "Don't you worry your little ginger head, kittypet. I'm _fine_! I just wish that I'd done more against Brokenstar before he got to be leader. Can't change the past, though, so all I gotta worry about now is what you'll bring me to eat tomorrow. Better not be one of those terrible mice!"

Firepaw smiled a little. "I'll bring you a bird or squirrel. How's that sound? Variety's good for your soul!"

"You do that," Yellowfang told him. "I might even let you off without a complaint. Deal?"

"Deal. Goodnight!" He walked away happily, his spirits lifted.

Stormpaw had remained silent all the while, grinning sleepily. He didn't seem to care about Yellowfang too much, but it was clear he didn't want to see Firepaw hurt. When they settled into their nests, he yawned and spoke.

"She doesn't seem like a murderer," Stormpaw mewed quietly. "Not until she sees Brokenstar again, at least."

Firepaw laughed at that as he curled up. "Shush. G'night, Smudgey."

"I'm not Smudge anymore," he chuckled. "G'night, Rusty."

"G'night, furball."

"G'night, fireball."

"Fireball? What's that?"

"A ball made of fire, obviously!"

Now their giggling had raised to normal volume, and Sandpaw shushed them loudly. They silenced but shot each other grins. Within a few minutes, they were asleep.


	13. Chapter 11

Firepaw stretched awake after being nudged by Stormpaw. "What?" he murmured sleepily.

"Bluestar wants us," Stormpaw replied. "Lionheart said she's in the medicine den, for whatever reason. Oh yeah! We have to go with Graypaw. He's needed as well."

_Graypaw_, Firepaw thought with a scowl. Bluestar and Darkstripe had trained the two together a few times during the past half moon, which was a first. During these rare sessions, Graypaw acted like a younger clone of his half-brother: pretentious, snobby, proud. He hadn't been afraid to flaunt it in front of his leader, either, which was surprising. This made the ginger tom quite dislike the fluffy gray apprentice, and he only doubted Stormpaw's insistence that he was once nice even more.

Firepaw looked around the den. "Where's Graypaw?"

"In the dirtplace," Stormpaw replied. "We'll just wait for him, and all three of us can go to Bluestar together."

Firepaw looked at Swiftpaw, who had grown less meek and afraid to being much like Graypaw: incredibly similar to his mentor, and Lynxpaw, who retained the kindness and playfulness of her mentor and herself. The two littermates had shared a nest at the beginning of their apprenticeships, and they still did despite the former's significant personality change. The tabby spent a few more moments reflecting on the many moons he'd spent in ThunderClan and the changes that had occurred before following Stormpaw out.

The duo sat and waited right outside of the dirtplace. Within moments Graypaw emerged, his fur messy and his eyes half-closed. It looked as if he'd just woken up and hadn't bothered to groom, which was probably what had happened. He lifted a brow when he noticed them, expecting them to go in. However, they sat and silently agreed to let him speak first.

"Why are you kittypets being so creepy?" he huffed. "Can't a cat just go train with his mentor?"

"Bluestar wants the three of us first," Stormpaw meowed. "So come on, grumpy! Get awake."

Graypaw sighed heavily, but followed as they led the way inside of the medicine den. There stood Bluestar, Spottedleaf, and three small piles of herbs. Yellowfang's tail could be seen poking out of the hidden herb store. For the past two moons after her trial, she'd opted to help Spottedleaf. Her wounds were fully healed, which meant she could leave, but she seemed to have grown acquainted with Spottedleaf and ThunderClan as a whole. More specifically, Firepaw. During the time he spent as her caretaker, he grew to like the old she-cat and had formed a bond with her.

"Each of you, take a pile of herbs and eat all of it," Spottedleaf ordered. "You three, along with Tigerclaw, are accompanying Bluestar to the Moonstone."

Firepaw's eyes grew wide. "The Moonstone?" he breathed. "Is it time for us to go already?"

"You have but a few moons to go until you're ready to be warriors," Bluestar confirmed. "You're coming as extra muscle in case we get attacked by ShadowClan or rogues, and I thought you might as well accompany us since you needed to go to the Moonstone eventually anyway."

"Why do you need to share tongues with StarClan?" Firepaw asked curiously. "Did something bad happen?"

"Of course not," Bluestar assured him. "But it's never a bad thing to be safe. Tensions between ShadowClan and ThunderClan have grown, especially since they decided to chase away WindClan and force RiverClan to share hunting grounds on their own land." She shook her head, clearly disgusted at Brokenstar.

"Why can't we just take the trip another day, and you just take a couple warriors?" Graypaw asked.

"Because I decided that today would be the day you went," Bluestar meowed with a hint of a warning in her tone. "All of you need to eat your travelling herbs. Hurry and do so. It will take a while for us to make it to Mothermouth."

Firepaw bent and lapped at one of the piles. The herbs didn't taste good at all, but he forced them down. "Won't you need some?" he asked his mentor.

Bluestar shook her head. "I'm sharing tongues with StarClan. You're forbidden to eat before you do so."

"Are we allowed to get some fresh-kill before we go then?" Stormpaw spoke up hopefully after eating his herbs. "Since we're allowed."

"I suppose, if you chew quickly," Bluestar replied. "But there really won't be much on the pile, with the exception of last night's stale leftovers."

"It'll do," Graypaw murmured, walking out. His denmates followed at his tail.

There were three pieces left: two mice and a thrush. Graypaw took the thrush, while Firepaw and Stormpaw each took a mouse. The trio ate quickly and returned to Bluestar. It wasn't long before they'd left camp with Tigerclaw joining at the leader's side and soon enough, they'd arrived to Fourtrees. Bluestar and Tigerclaw turned to look at them.

"We need to go through WindClan territory to reach Mothermouth, but ShadowClan has been occupying it ever since they chased them away," she meowed. "They only occasionally patrol, since they seem to have noticed that they don't have the skill or speed to catch rabbits. We should be fine, but we'll have to stay hidden and silent while we go through anyway."

"And no dilly-dallying!" Tigerclaw added. "We're to go through quickly, quietly, and stealthily."

Graypaw nodded obediently. Firepaw's and Stormpaw's affirmative nods were much less enthusiastic. They set off again, but their pawsteps grew silent once they reached the breezy moors. The ginger tom fluffed out his pelt, trying to form some sort of resistance to the chiliness. As they walked, they hid in what little undergrowth they could find. Otherwise, they focused on rocks and the rare tree. They did scent ShadowClan, but all of it seemed a few days stale. That is, until Firepaw felt paws crash into his side.

Firepaw, not expecting it, allowed himself to be pinned by what appeared to be a kit. His Clanmates surrounded them, claws unsheathed. The kit had light brown fur, striped with a slightly darker shade. He had a pure white undercoat and gentle blue eyes, which were wide with unspoken and desperately hidden fear. He had claws to Firepaw's throat. The former kittypet guessed that he'd been chosen out of the bunch because he seemed the weakest.

"Gentle," Firepaw meowed quietly, trying not to show his own fear. Despite his enemy's incredibly small size and seemingly harmless nature, his fight-or-flight reflex had already activated.

The kit bared his teeth, but all it really proved was his hesitance. The entire tough act was clearly forced. "This is ShadowClan land," his light, shaky voice managed to growl. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"We need to get to Mothermouth and back," Firepaw meowed calmly. "That's it. Surely you can't inform your Clanmates of this. We're innocent here, aren't we?"

The kit seemed to consider it, then he shook his head. His bristled fur and bared teeth had fallen to make way for him to show his true feelings. "I don't want to fight, but Clawface will do away with my fur if he finds out I let you go," he whimpered. "Brokenstar has our mentors do such horrible punishments. Last time, I had to chew a claw off." He showed off his right forepaw, unsheathing his claws again. This time, Firepaw noticed one missing.

"What's your name?" Bluestar asked gently, using the tone of a mother.

This seemed to soothe the kit, who also happened to be an apprentice. "Littlepaw," he murmured. "I'm Littlepaw. You'll know my brother, Brownpaw. He's the one who was reported dead at last moon's Gathering."

Firepaw felt his heart sink with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. Were you close?"

Littlepaw nodded slowly. "Very. He caught a rat from Carrionplace and ate it, but luckily the poison didn't spread to anyone else. Brokenstar called him foolish and refused him a vigil, but Runningnose insisted on holding one anyway." He took a few shallow breaths, as if his heart had begun to race. "Wetpaw hasn't been the same since he died. He's abandoned trying to follow Brokenstar at all, which has gotten him punished many times. I'm afraid he's going to turn up dead."

Tigerclaw's impatience finally forced itself through the somber moment. "This is all very tragic, but what are you doing here? Where's your mentor even at?"

"He brought me here to hunt, and he promised to leave me alone while I did so," Littlepaw replied, clearly too intimidated by Tigerclaw to refuse his questions. "It's rare, since we typically just focus on fighting. But I'm glad for the change."

"He'll be expecting you, I assume?" Bluestar mewed, and she got a nod in response. "Then go hunt. While I don't approve of WindClan being gone and your Clan trying to take their prey, there's nothing I can do about it. All we ask is that you keep our secret. If your Clan knows that I'm gone, as well as multiple fighters, Brokenstar will surely order to invade. Do you understand, young Littlepaw?"

Littlepaw nodded quickly. "Yeah, I do. It'll be scary to lie to Clawface and Blackfoot and everyone, but I'll do it. I don't like battles. I don't like unfair attacks. I won't let either happen if I can help it."

Bluestar breathed an almost silent sigh of relief, showing that even she had her doubts. "Thank you. ThunderClan will never forget this. You've done a good thing. May StarClan light your path, young one."

"May StarClan light your path, Bluestar," Littlepaw returned. "And you… Tigerclaw, right?" He looked at Firepaw, who he'd since let stand, and Stormpaw. "And the kittypet apprentices." He cracked the smallest bit of a smile. "Your paths too." Graypaw seemed slightly upset that the ShadowClan apprentice had no idea who he was.

Bluestar began leading her patrol away in the same stealthy manner in which they'd been travelling in as Littlepaw stood, staring after them almost wistfully. They continued their trek to Mothermouth, the place in which Bluestar would learn what she desired to know.


	14. Chapter 12

"Firepaw!"

Firepaw jumped awake. Had he fallen asleep? He was supposed to be guarding Bluestar! However, his surroundings weren't a crystal-lit cave with his dark-furred leader laying beside the Moonstone. It was Fourtrees, and he was sitting on the Great Rock. He looked to his right, where the voice had come from, only to see the small form of Redtail.

"Don't tell me I touched the Moonstone!" Firepaw mewed worriedly.

Redtail shook his head. "You didn't. I just thought that now was the perfect time to speak with you."

"Why me?" Firepaw asked. "Bluestar is here too!"

"Sunstar is speaking with her," Redtail meowed. "I was given permission to talk to you." He lowered his round muzzle slightly. "Are you alright with that?"

Firepaw nodded. "What do you need to say?"

"When leaf-bare comes, your life will change drastically," Redtail informed him. "Two enemies will meet and fall for one another, but you shall not interfere. Their paths have been set in the stars, and leaving it as is will help the future go along as the ancient ones planned. I just know that since you dislike this cat, you'll be extremely willing to rat them out. I'm warning you now: don't."

Firepaw narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Are you talking about an inter-Clan relationship or something?"

Redtail nodded. "Precisely."

"But that's against the warrior code!"

"Some cats can't help but feed their lust. There's nothing that can be done to prevent it. All that the Clans can do is punish them."

"What will happen?" Firepaw asked curiously. "What is it that I have to let happen?"

"I don't know," Redtail sighed. "No cat, dead or alive, knows. We just see brief messages, and so we must pass them on. We do know the cats, though."

Firepaw's eyes widened. "Who?"

"I cannot say. You'd try changing things before they even happened, especially at this impulsive age."

Firepaw sighed. "You're right." He lifted his lowered head. "Wait, I have something to ask. Did Tigerclaw…" He shuffled his paws, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. "Did he-"

"Yes," Redtail interrupted sadly. "The cat whom I saw as a friend and a second mentor took my life. Ravencloud speaks the truth."

"Thank you for telling me," Firepaw mewed. "I hoped that maybe his mind just made something up, or… well, anything but the truth. Tigerclaw just seems so loyal! I can't imagine how he sleeps at night, knowing what he's done."

Redtail shook his head slowly, his pale eyes aimed at the ground. "Some cats have no desire but to kill and take." His tortoiseshell head perked up very suddenly. "You must go. Immediately!"

Firepaw couldn't form words in his mind to describe what it felt like being jolted awake by the pure power of StarClan alone, but it was definitely something he'd never forget. When he sat up after awakening, his pelt was immediately bristled. He kept Redtail's panicked words in mind as he saw Bluestar get up as well, just as afraid and rushed.

"We must leave, Firepaw," she meowed with a strong sense of urgency. She quickly walked out. "Now!"

Firepaw followed her, unnerved. What could be so horrible that they needed to rush back home? When they left Mothermouth, they saw Graypaw and Stormpaw sleepily talking to one another. It seemed like Graypaw had really lowered his guard during this trip, since Darkstripe wasn't here to watch him. Tigerclaw was sitting off to the side, watching grumpily. When they noticed their Clanmates emerge from the mountain, however, they all followed.

"What's going on?" Graypaw asked.

"I don't know," Firepaw replied. "Definitely something important, but I don't know what."

They kept going in silence, Bluestar pushing on with rapid speed. As largely built ThunderClanners, they got tired quickly. However, she left no time to stop and take a breather. Around the time the sun began setting, they reached Barley's territory. He was a black-and-white barn cat who had helped them avoid some dogs on their way to Mothermouth. The loner himself appeared, halting them all.

"What is it, Barley?" Bluestar asked.

Barley's green eyes were wide with confusion. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Tigerclaw answered. "What do you want?"

"The dogs are out, but the way I gave you yesterday is blocked," Barley informed them. "You'll need to go through the other path."

"There are rats on that path," Bluestar told him, seeming to know which he was referring to.

"Not anymore. The Twolegs cleared them out."

Bluestar considered it for a moment before nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Barley. We must be going now. StarClan has foreseen danger, and we must hurry home."

Barley mewed a goodbye. As they began heading back to ThunderClan territory again, Tigerclaw asked, "Are you sure we can even trust him?"

Bluestar nodded confidently. "He wouldn't mislead us. What would he gain?"

When they arrived to the clearing, they slowed to a walk. Bluestar had her jaws parted, seemingly checking for danger. Her head perked up as she let out a warning yowl, but it was too late. They were already swarmed with rats. Each cat had no choice but to take on at least two. Bluestar herself had four, and was having trouble despite her battle experience.

Firepaw had killed one rat, but was still having trouble with the second. Graypaw came over and delivered the final blow, seemingly done with his. They then helped Stormpaw with his, since he was buried underneath three. When the apprentices looked at Bluestar, they saw Tigerclaw finishing off the ones clinging to her pelt. They rushed over, realizing that she was worse off out of all of them. She lay on the grass, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds - most harmfully, a throat one.

"I'm going to kill that rogue for lying to us," Tigerclaw growled.

"He couldn't have known," Bluestar told him weakly. "Don't do…" Her voice trailed off, and her eyes glazed over.

She was dead.

Firepaw froze. He couldn't move, couldn't think. His leader and his mentor was gone. Tigerclaw simply stared at her, seeming impatient. Stormpaw and Graypaw were sitting, licking their wounds. The ginger tom could hardly believe that his Clanmates didn't care about her death. He tried holding his anger in, but he exploded anyway.

"What's wrong with all of you?!" he yowled. "Bluestar is dead!" Tears came to his eyes. "She's gone, and there's nothing we can do to help her! Why don't any of you care?!"

Tigerclaw growled, "Can you shut up? She's fine."

"What do you mean?!" Firepaw shouted.

Tigerclaw rolled his eyes. "I can't believe no one told you about this. Just sit and wait. You'll see."

"I forgot to tell him," Stormpaw mewed quietly. "Never came up, I guess."

Firepaw sat hesitantly, trying to sort out his grief and anger. Multiple long moments passed, and nothing happened. This only made him more upset. He was about to begin yowling again, but Bluestar's voice stopped him.

"We must keep going," she meowed, sitting up.

Firepaw shook his head. "Wh-what?" he murmured. "How are you alive?"

"A leader has nine lives, Firepaw," Bluestar explained. "StarClan gives them to us so that we can be the first to rush into a battle and the last to take prey from the pile. It doesn't matter right now, anyway. We have to keep moving."

"If you don't mind my asking, how many more do you have left?" Tigerclaw asked quietly, so quietly that Firepaw had to strain to hear.

Bluestar looked at the apprentices. "That was my fifth," she meowed in a normal volume, causing Graypaw and Stormpaw to lift their heads with surprise. "I see no reason to hide it. I have four more. It should be enough for me to see many more seasons."

Tigerclaw nodded. "Of course." He looked to the three younger cats. "You lot, let's get going. We've wasted enough time, thanks to this _Barley_ cat."

They moved slower now that they were all wounded, but they still made good time. They didn't bother moving stealthily through WindClan land, which Firepaw found odd. Wouldn't ShadowClan cats be there? However, they saw nor scented none. Any trace was stale. He supposed that speed was more important than stealth right then, anyway.

As they approached their camp, they began hearing yowling and screeching. Bluestar's pelt bristled, and she dashed ahead. Tigerclaw wasted no time in following. The apprentices, on the other paw, hesitated out of shock and ran after. Firepaw froze as he took in the scene. Dens were torn up, there were ShadowClan cats everywhere, and every ThunderClanner was fighting - even the frail elders.

Firepaw pounced on a brown tabby apprentice and began striking, then stopped. Both cats were still. "Littlepaw?"

Littlepaw was shaking. "I didn't tell them that you were gone! I-I swear, I didn't say anything. Someone else did."

"Who did?" Firepaw pressed. "Did you see them? Are they in your Clan?"

Littlepaw shook his head. "They're a ThunderClanner. He came in our camp, a-and he told Brokenstar that Bluestar and some warriors were gone… he was in a huge hurry, was out of breath."

"Who was it?" Firepaw was thinking of a specific cat, but surely it couldn't be.

Littlepaw parted his jaws to speak, but was pinned and attacked by Sandstorm. "Stop talking to the enemy, kittypet!" she growled.

Firepaw dashed off to attack a tuxedo tom instead, who appeared to be the same size as Littlepaw. Maybe this was the Wetpaw he'd mentioned? They must've been kin; they were too tiny to be apprentices. Smallness must run in their family. As he thought about this, he chased the bicolored tom out of their camp. Right after, he heard a deep voice call a retreat.

Firepaw dashed out of the way as all of the ShadowClan warriors, led by their deputy Blackfoot, escaped through the entrance. He looked over camp. Rosetail lay dead by the elders' den. Her denmates, wounded, surrounded her with tears in their eyes. Then, by the nursery and next to a yowling Frostfur, was the fluffy golden form of Lionheart.

Firepaw felt his heart drop. No, Lionheart couldn't be dead. He was simply unconscious. He'd need lots of care from Spottedleaf, sure, but he was very much alive! ...Right? He slowly padded over and got a better look. The deputy's green eyes were glazed over, and his face was scrunched permanently into a snarl.

Firepaw couldn't help it. He ran to the apprentices' den and fell into his nest, sobbing. Even though Lionheart had only temporarily been his mentor, he'd still remained close with the warrior. He couldn't bring himself to stand and leave the warm comfort of his nest. Instead, he remained there. He trembled, and sobbed, and wished that it had been anyone but kind and loyal Lionheart.

After a very long time of letting his grief out, Firepaw lifted his tear-ridden face and sniffed. He didn't bother cleaning himself up before forcing himself out of the den. He was presented with a dusk sky and the beginnings of a vigil. It seemed as if they were finishing sharing tongues with the two deceased. The ginger apprentice padded over, but stayed back a fair distance in order to give the final few space.

The last cat, after Firepaw, to share tongues with Lionheart was Stormpaw. He looked even worse than Firepaw, especially since he'd been closer to him. Soon enough, the sky grew even darker and the moon appeared. The only cats left by Lionheart's side were Frostfur, Goldenflower, Stormpaw, and Firepaw. Bluestar hopped onto the top of Highrock, and the gathered crowd in front of the boulder looked up.

"It was a tragedy that we lost Lionheart and Rosetail today," Bluestar meowed. "However, we mustn't wait to choose a new deputy." She lifted her chin. "I say these words before StarClan so that they may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy of ThunderClan is Tigerclaw."

Firepaw felt his blood turn to ice. He looked where Ravencloud sat by himself, noticing that the young warrior was also visibly terrified. _Oh, StarClan, please don't let Tigerclaw remain deputy for long._

**yikes a very clearly rushed chapter. theres better stuff to come so dont even worry. see you in about 5 months**


	15. Chapter 13

Before Firepaw was a flower. It was absolutely beautiful. It had bright, shiny golden petals and a vibrant green stem. Its leaves were dappled with dark reds and yellows and oranges. He sat, his tail curled around his paws. He admired his flower for a very long time. It felt like seasons had passed, and yet he hadn't gotten tired of it. He looked up at it again after pausing to bite a flea off of his rear. Had it always been towering over him? He'd seen it as insignificant at first, but he'd recognized its beauty and had now come to appreciate its shelter from the rain that had started pouring down.

Firepaw frowned and jumped to his paws. The leaves had begun to wilt. He stared in confusion as brown spread through them, showing their slow death. It felt like torture, watching them die a little more as each moon passed. And finally, when he was old and had a pelt that no longer fit him, when he had tired eyes and battle scars from many moons before, the final leaf wilted completely and dropped from the stem. Suddenly, he was young again. There was the flower, at eye-level. It wilted again, but extremely quickly this time. The leaves were off before he could even process what had happened.

Redtail stepped out from the shadows. "Firepaw."

"What?" Firepaw asked, then realized: this was a dream. He'd just witnessed a sign from StarClan. He motioned to the flower with his muzzle. "What does this mean?"

Redtail frowned. "I won't be alone for much longer," he murmured sadly. "Leaves wilt faster than you may think. The first vision was what should've been. The second is what _will_ be."

Staring at the tiny former deputy, his head lowered, his fur messy, strength so clearly taken from his body… it was shocking. Was this just an act, or did something that StarClan foresaw truly break Redtail enough to make him this way? Firepaw opened his mouth to speak, but he found that he had nothing to say. Redtail shook his head, laughing, although everything in the situation was far from funny. He got to his paws again and tilted his head up towards the black, empty sky.

"Say your goodbyes while you still can," he advised quietly. "Farewell, Firepaw."

Firepaw sat up in his nest, his fur prickling. He looked sideways at Stormpaw, who had the nest next to his in the warm center of the den. "Wake up, you mouse," he meowed quietly, shaking his friend awake.

Stormpaw lifted his head, his dark eyes opening. He stretched. "What?"

"It's probably morning," Firepaw replied. "Let's go see if we can train together."

Stormpaw shrugged. "Alright." He got to his paws alongside him and padded out, stepping over Lynxpaw and Swiftpaw.

When they left the den, the sun was still rising. The sky was pink, and purple, and orange with a bit of dark blue at the top. The warriors of StarClan in Silverpelt were fading away, slowly giving their goodbyes to their descendents. Firepaw almost spoke, but he heard something: a deep voice near the back of the nursery. The den was still damaged from the ShadowClan invasion, so there was an open space back there.

"Come along," the voice whispered.

Stormpaw and Firepaw exchanged a glance. "It's probably nothing," Stormpaw meowed. "It sounds like Dustpelt! There's nothing wrong with him checking up on the kits."

"I'm not sure," Firepaw murmured. "Maybe we should check?"

"You do whatever," Stormpaw mewed. "I'm getting more sleep, even if it's only a little."

Firepaw looked at his friend, watching as he went back into the den. He wanted to check out the voice, but his fear of doing so alone prevented him. He followed Stormpaw and lay back in his nest, yet he couldn't fall back asleep for a while. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something seriously wrong.

* * *

Firepaw awoke to yowling. When he and Stormpaw stepped out of the apprentices' den, they were greeted with practically every ThunderClan cat crowded around something. Willowpelt was the cat who had been yowling. She sat there, her Clanmates staring at her, her pale gray pelt bristled so that she looked twice her size. Her mouth was open wide, screaming awful wails of despair. He shoved himself closer out of curiosity, but he wished that he hadn't.

"Spottedleaf!" Willowpelt cried.

Whitestorm rushed into camp with a patrol, dropping prey on the ground before dashing over to his mate. He slowly and quietly brought her away, seeming to think that removing the sight could destroy the memories. Yet Firepaw knew that he would never forget this for as long as he lived. His mother-like figure was sprawled across the ground, blood soaking her chest and forelegs. The only wound she had was a slice across her throat, as if a cat had snuck in and silently eliminated her. The emotion her face wore was one of pure shock.

Firepaw's mind couldn't process this. His body refused to react, instead choosing to stiffen and deny any attempt at moving. He urged himself to find out who had done this and deliver his vengeance, but he couldn't. He felt like a kit who had just lost his mother before he'd even left the nursery: helpless, weak. Afraid. Most of all, he was afraid. What would he do without Spottedleaf? He'd thought losing Lionheart was bad - and it definitely, definitely _was_ horrible - but losing the gentle and innocent medicine cat was worse.

Spottedleaf had been one of the first to truly accept him before he'd even become a member. She'd treated a tiny, worthless kittypet without hesitation. She saw past who he was and decided that he deserved treatment for his wounds, no matter who he was or what had caused them. She stayed loyal to her duty to the very end, and she stayed true to her values. She valued life and kindness above all. She took him in as practically a son when he knew no one except for Stormpaw and perhaps, slightly Ravencloud. She didn't have to. She could've treated him as a normal Clanmate, and she didn't have to share the precious secret. Yet she shared it, and she shared the love she gave no one else.

The secret. At this thought, Firepaw's body allowed movement. His mind was focused; all of the grief was packed away and put aside for a later moment. He made his way to Cherrysong, who sat comforting a scared and confused Lynxpaw. He decided to wait until they were finished, although it hurt incredibly so.

"What if the cat kills one of us?!" Lynxpaw cried.

"It'll be okay," Cherrysong soothed her apprentice. She almost spoke again, but her eye caught Firepaw's. "Do you need something, Firepaw?"

"Yes, but Lynxpaw shouldn't be around to hear," Firepaw replied seriously, desperately trying to keep his voice steady.

Cherrysong hesitated before sending Lynxpaw away to train with Longtail and Swiftpaw. By this point, the crowd had mostly dissipated. "What do you need?" she asked.

"I need to tell you something," Firepaw meowed. "It was something that only the older cats know, and that anyone your age and younger is oblivious of."

"Yes?" Cherrysong mewed, looking incredibly intrigued now.

"You have been lied to. Patchpelt and Robinwing weren't your parents. Thistleclaw and Spottedleaf were."

Cherrysong's eyes widened. "What?"

Bluestar, nearby, came over. She nodded slowly. "It's true. I'm surprised Spottedleaf trusted young Firepaw with her secret, especially since it was never to be told again. The entire Clan agreed that the secret would die with them."

"How did this happen?" Cherrysong breathed. "Did Longtail know?"

Bluestar shook her head. "Your parents were forbidden mates. The only reason that Spottedleaf wasn't exempt from her position permanently was because there was no other medicine cat to take over. Therefore, her punishment was giving you up. Since Longtail was born the same day you were, Robinwing decided to take you in. She always treated you like her own. She was a wonderful foster mother to you.

"Spottedleaf was allowed to give you your name, but she and Thistleclaw both had to swear that they would never tell you and that they would never grow close to you. The rest of the Clan had to swear secrecy as well. It was the only way to ensure a normal life for you and Longtail, and for your parents. They were both watched closely after, but they never seemed to act like mates again. Around the time your foster mother's new kits were born, Thistleclaw died and Spottedleaf no longer had to be watched.

"So you see, Cherrysong," Bluestar concluded, "I and everyone else wanted what was best for you and your parents. Everyone was incredibly upset with them both, but they still had to act as if nothing was wrong so that none of your generation or younger could know. Please understand that everyone views you with respect and kindness, and no one blames you for your parents' mistakes."

Cherrysong nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Thank you for telling me," she meowed quietly, then turned to Firepaw. "You too. Especially you. Thank you so much. Now I know why everyone's acted so weird about me my whole life. Everyone thinks I haven't noticed, but it's so obvious that I can't imagine being oblivious to it."

"Will you be okay?" Firepaw asked. "Won't this complicate your relationship with your brothe- er, Longtail?"

"Don't correct yourself," she requested. "He's still very much my brother. He's probably the cat I'm closest to out of everyone in ThunderClan. And yes, we'll be fine. I want to tell him, of course. I doubt he'll think any different of me. At least, I hope not." She turned to Bluestar. "Can I?"

"It's _your_ secret now," Bluestar told her. "Do with it as you wish. Both of your parents are dead, and so it's only your fate that will change."

Cherrysong nodded. "Thank you. Now I must tend to my mentoring duties, but I will be sure to inform him."

Bluestar and Firepaw watched her go. "Have you heard about Frostfur's kits?" Bluestar asked her apprentice.

Firepaw shook his head. "What happened?"

"All four are gone," Bluestar replied. "There's ShadowClan scent on Spottedleaf's body and around the nursery, so it must've been them. Tigerclaw insisted on taking out a patrol, but…" Bluestar shrugged. "I'm sure you can tell why I refused his request."

Indeed he could: it had begun to rain, just like in his dream. "Will it turn into a storm?" Firepaw asked.

Bluestar nodded. "I've sent cats to retrieve those out of camp. It might be dangerous weather. However, we need our kits back. There's one reason why I'm asking you this: Yellowfang has disappeared, and the cats think that she killed Spottedleaf and helped a ShadowClan cat escape with the kits. I don't know why, but there's somehow a rumor of Ravencloud being involved as well." She shook her head.

"Ravencloud?" Firepaw mewed. "He'd never turn traitor!"

"I believe that," Bluestar meowed. "I thought that if you went after Yellowfang and confronted her, she'd tell you the truth. You've been her caretaker, so I'm sure she trusts you."

Firepaw nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll do it. I don't want her falsely accused. She's a good cat, Bluestar."

"You must hurry," his mentor told him. "The storm might not last for long. Take Ravencloud with you as well. It will hopefully prove his innocence if he helps uncover the truth."

Firepaw nodded and ran to where Ravencloud sat in the rain, staring up at the gray sky. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Ravencloud shook his head. "Frostfur… my own older sister… she attacked me!" He motioned to a few scratches on his flank. "I just wanted to check to make sure she was alright, with the kidnapping and all. Yet she got out her claws, thinking I had something to do with it!" Despite the rain, it was clear that tears were starting to come. "A-and I couldn't imagine betraying ThunderClan in such a way. I…" He fell silent, trying to hold his emotions back.

Firepaw rubbed along his friend's unscratched side. "It'll be okay," he comforted the young warrior. "Bluestar's asked me to go after the truth, and she wants you to come with me. If you help, you'll be proven innocent to everyone. What do you say?"

Ravencloud nodded. "Yeah, I'll help. Can Stormpaw come? It wouldn't be right to go without him. He's part of our group."

Firepaw smiled a little. "Of course. I'll go get him." He ran to the apprentices' den and poked his head in, only to see Graypaw sheltering. "Have you seen Stormpaw?"

Graypaw shook his head. "Why?"

"Just… wanted to know," Firepaw responded slowly, unsure if he should keep the mission a secret or not.

Graypaw narrowed his eyes. "You're hiding something. What is it?"

"I can't say. Bluestar's orders."

"You can trust me," Graypaw assured him, although with his tough persona it seemed more like a demand.

Firepaw shuffled his paws for a moment, silently deciding. "Well… Bluestar wants me to go after Yellowfang for the truth on who took the kits, and she told me to take Ravencloud. I want to bring Stormpaw too. You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Of course not!" Graypaw offered a mischievous grin. "I can't tattle on myself."

"You aren't coming along!" Firepaw told him.

"I'll tell _everyone_ if I can't come," Graypaw threatened. "So take me with you. I can help get some information out of an old furball."

Firepaw bristled. "Fine, but you're not making any decisions. Me and Stormpaw and Ravencloud will."

Graypaw smiled widely, triumphant. He pushed his way past Firepaw, back out in the rain. "Well, let's find little Stormy then!"

Firepaw huffed before following. _This is going to be a long mission…_


	16. Chapter 14

When Graypaw and Firepaw left the den, Ravencloud approached them. "Firepaw, I want to tell Stormpaw about… the _thing_ before we go," he meowed.

"Okay. And uh, Graypaw will be coming along too. He'll tell the Clan about what we're doing if we don't let him." Firepaw was still upset over this.

"What do you need to tell Stormpaw?" Graypaw asked, curious.

"I can't tell you," Ravencloud mumbled, clearly nervous - likely at the thought of Graypaw eavesdropping, but it could be anything.

Graypaw huffed. "Fine, keep your secrets. I'll wait here. Hurry up and go tell him, wherever he is." He sat, his fluffy tail curling over his huge paws.

Firepaw and Ravencloud went off, side-by-side, looking. They saw Tigerclaw standing tall in the entrance to the warriors' den, only his ear tips getting rained on. Thunder roared in the distance as the two approached him, since he was Stormpaw's mentor after Lionheart died and should know where he was. His amber eyes narrowed when he noticed them.

"We're looking for Stormpaw," Firepaw meowed. "Do you know where he is?"

"He went to the dirtplace," Tigerclaw replied with suspicion. "Shouldn't you all be in your dens, anyway? It's storming. Bad enough Bluestar won't let patrols go out."

"We just wanted to see him," Ravencloud mewed quietly, kneading his paws. His head was bent so that he looked directly at the ground.

"Find him then, and make him go shelter," Tigerclaw ordered. "I'm watching you, Ravencloud." He narrowed his pale eyes even further.

Ravencloud's scruff-fur stood up, but he acted composed anyway and nodded obediently. "Yes, Tigerclaw. We won't be long."

The duo went off and entered the dirtplace, only to see Stormpaw standing stiff. "Stormpaw?" Firepaw called with a concerned tone.

Stormpaw turned around with an awkward chuckle. "Hey!" he mewed. "I was just making dirt."

"It's storming," Ravencloud told him. "Can't you tell?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm standing in it." Stormpaw flicked his soaked tail and approached them. "What's up?"

"Bluestar wants us to go after Yellowfang and get the truth out of her," Firepaw replied. "She wants me to go since Yellowfang trusts me, and for Ravencloud to go because his reputation needs cleared."

"What about me?"

"_I_ want you to come," Firepaw mewed. "We both do." He motioned to Ravencloud.

Stormpaw offered a small grin. "Thanks, but… I'm no good at stuff like this. Plus, I'm sure she's innocent anyway."

"Please come," Firepaw insisted.

"Fine, I guess if you want me to so bad," Stormpaw sighed.

"Graypaw's coming too."

"Why? I thought he hated us 'cause of Darkstripe."

"I don't know. He got me to tell him, even though I wasn't supposed to, and now he's using it as blackmail."

"We have something else to say to you before we go," Ravencloud spoke up.

"What?" Stormpaw asked.

"Oakheart didn't pull Redtail in the path of the boulder," Firepaw meowed.

Stormpaw raised a brow. "So what? He was in its path to begin with then."

"No, he wasn't," Ravencloud breathed, looking as if he were reliving the horrid moment. "It was _Tigerclaw_ who made him get crushed."

"But why?" Stormpaw mewed with more doubt than shock.

"Tigerclaw wanted to be deputy," Ravencloud replied. "But he didn't. Lionheart did. Which is why I believe Tigerclaw was the one to tell ShadowClan we were out of camp, since he disappeared for a while after Bluestar and Firepaw went into Mothermouth."

"And then Lionheart died," Stormpaw murmured.

"He did."

Fury flew into Stormpaw's gaze. "Then let's expose him!" he almost shouted.

"Quiet!" Ravencloud mewed worriedly. "And we can't. Bluestar wouldn't believe a warrior and two kittypet apprentices. Tigerclaw is too good at lying; he's already made it seem like _I'm_ a rat for ShadowClan."

"We have to do _something_," Stormpaw growled. "He got Lionheart killed! I'll never rest until he's gone. I swear on StarClan, I'm leaving if he ever surpasses Bluestar ."

"Let's start with catching Yellowfang while the storm is still going on," Firepaw meowed. "As soon as it stops, Tigerclaw will jump at the chance to send out a patrol to look for her. We gotta be the first ones to find her. We can't let him claim another innocent victim."

Stormpaw nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll come." He had a determined look about him.

The three left the dirtplace and picked up Graypaw before heading towards the entrance. "Stop!" a voice called, and they did.

Firepaw turned to see Tigerclaw angrily approach. "Where do you four think you're going?"

"Er, we're just-" Firepaw began, but was cut off.

"Tigerclaw, I allowed Firepaw to go," Bluestar interrupted, padding over. "He asked for permission to go look for Yellowfang, and I approved. Good work on getting a few friends to go with you, Firepaw." She nodded. "Safety comes in not just strength, but also numbers."

"Thanks, Bluestar," Firepaw meowed, grateful that she'd saved them. "We'll be going now. We'll come straight back if her scent leads into ShadowClan territory."

"It _will_, since she took kits for them," Tigerclaw growled.

"Tigerclaw, let them look," Bluestar ordered, then looked back to her apprentice. "Good luck. I have faith that you'll find her."

Firepaw nodded and walked out of the entrance, which Runningwind sat outside of. "I heard Bluestar, but I think you lot are mouse-brained," he huffed, his whiskers dripping with rain. "You're wasting your time."

Firepaw didn't reply, and neither did anyone else. They kept walking, following the scent left by Yellowfang. It, like they all expected, led to the Thunderpath that separated them from ShadowClan territory. They looked from side to side and felt with their paws that no monsters were coming, then dashed across.

They kept on walking, but they soon found that the storm was lightening. Now there was only a slight sprinkle, and this worried all but Graypaw. This meant that a patrol, right then, was probably being sent out. They sped up at once, abandoning any sort of stealth that they'd had. Yellowfang's life was on the line more so than before.

Firepaw soon realized that they were right behind her, as he saw a glimpse of her tail. He pounced, sending her to the ground. He pinned her, determined she was innocent but still not mouse-brained enough to be more sorry than safe.

"What in the name of StarClan…!" Yellowfang hissed, then realized it was Firepaw. "Get off me! We're almost to their camp. I could've made it there by now."

"No, we couldn't have," Firepaw meowed. "Did you take the kits?" He choked. "Did you kill Spottedleaf?!" If she did, he wouldn't be able to forgive her no matter how close they were.

"No, I did neither!" Yellowfang replied, pushing him off with her superior strength. She got to her paws. "Listen. I know who killed her and took the kits. It's a warrior named Clawface; I recognized his scent. He's one of the actually loyal ones, not loyal just out of fear."

"So what do we do?" Stormpaw asked. "Do we take them back?"

"Of course, mouse-brain!" Yellowfang huffed. "I was thinking of sneaking in and getting them out by myself, but help makes this easier. I have a plan now. I'll go get the elders - they were exiled out of camp - and they'll probably help us. Go wait by the border for a patrol-"

"One was sent out," Firepaw mewed. "To look for you."

"Then wait for that one," Yellowfang ordered. "Explain to them what I just told you, and have them come to this exact spot. I'll meet you here with the elders. We're gonna attack the camp, drive Brokenstar and his lackeys out for good."

"That's insane!" Ravencloud gasped.

"I'm down," Graypaw meowed, flexing his claws excitedly.

"All of those cats together won't be enough to overpower the rest of ShadowClan, will it?" Firepaw asked.

"There are cats that don't want to follow Brokenstar, but are too afraid to rebel," Yellowfang replied. "They'll join us when they see us attack, I know for sure. I especially know that Runningnose, my old apprentice, will definitely fight. I taught him some battle moves during his training, so he'll do well."

Stormpaw's eyes were narrowed with determination. "Let's do this. Let's drive that tyrant out!" His tail lashed.

"Yeah!" Firepaw meowed, his worries wiped away by the thought of ShadowClan being rid of Brokenstar.

"Then go," Yellowfang meowed. "See you back here. Say anything you can to convince the patrol that I'm innocent and to come."

Yellowfang turned and disappeared in the shadowy pines. By this point, the rain had fully stopped. Firepaw led his little patrol back to the Thunderpath, and he sat to watch for their Clanmates. Soon, they saw them approach.

There were six cats on the patrol: Whitestorm, Willowpelt, Frostfur, Brindleface, Longtail, and Dustpelt. It looked as if Whitestorm were the leader. When they reached the Thunderpath, practically all of them took on a surprised expression. They crossed the Thunderpath when they were sure there were no monsters.

"What are you four doing over here?" Whitestorm asked, looking especially concerned for Graypaw.

"Bluestar sent us to look for Yellowfang," Firepaw replied for the entire group. "We spoke to her, and she's innocent. A warrior named Clawface killed Spottedleaf and stole Frostfur's kits. Since Yellowfang used to be in ShadowClan, she knew his scent." He then explained the plan to attack.

Whitestorm nodded slowly. "I always trusted that Yellowfang was anything but a murderer, so I'll trust her and you now. If we're going to do this, we'll need more than some rebels and a patrol. I'll send for a few more cats."

"I can go," Dustpelt offered. "I'll get help."

"Then go," Whitestorm meowed, and the ticked tabby dashed off across the Thunderpath after checking for monsters. "One of you need to wait here for him and the cats he brings back."

"I'll stay," Ravencloud mewed.

"Very well. Just follow our scent when they come."

"Let's go already," Frostfur growled. "Those fox-hearted cats have my kits!"

Firepaw led the rest of the cats to the meeting place. He sat underneath a pine whose leaves were still dripping with rain water. It wasn't long before Yellowfang led a group of old-looking cats to the spot.

"I see you managed to convince them," Yellowfang meowed. "Let me introduce you to the elders. The black tom there is Nightwhisker, a tom who should still be a warrior but has breathing problems. The gray tom beside him is Ashclaw, and the dark gray tabby is Cinderwing.

"Nightwhisker managed to sneak into camp and ask one of the warriors, Dawncloud, about rallying up the cats who aren't too happy with Brokenstar. You probably wouldn't know since you haven't been in ShadowClan, but it isn't hard to find them. Anyway, now at least they know to attack when we come in."

"Did you manage to ask a queen about securing the stolen kits' safety?" Whitestorm asked.

"Tallpoppy has them hidden in the nursery, and she'll protect them in case any ShadowClan warrior tries getting to them or if they try joining the battle," Nightwhisker replied for Yellowfang. "They're safe. When the battle is over, you will be given them without a fight. We can unanimously promise that."

"Now let's go," Yellowfang meowed. "It's time to attack."

"Not yet," Whitestorm interjected. "I have a few extra cats coming."

"They'd better hurry up then," she snorted.

They waited, and luckily it was only a short period of time before Dustpelt and Ravencloud arrived with Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, and Cherrysong. Yellowfang appeared to be satisfied, since she turned and began leading them to ShadowClan's camp.

The elders and ThunderClan cats followed without hesitation, all united by their hatred for Brokenstar.

**This is probably the fourth or fifth rewrite of this chapter. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get it out. Also, I rewrote Chapter 10 while stumped with writer's block. You know, the one with the trial? Go check it out. It's much better than before.**


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